Energy Sources and the Environment

Which of the following statements provides a reason for the widespread use of fossil fuels?

• Fossil fuels are a renewable source of energy.
• Fossil fuels are readily available and inexpensive.
• Fossil fuels are not harmful to the environment.
• All of the above.

Which of the following forms of renewable energy uses the sun's energy most directly?

• biomass fuel
• passive solar heatin
• geothermal energy
• a hydrogen fuel cell

Which of the following pairs are design features that nuclear power plants and coal-fired power plants share?

• fuel rods and containment buildings
• turbines and generators
• combustion chamber and reactor cores
• none of the above

Which of the following energy sources is useful in most parts of the world?

• tidal power
• OTEC
• geothermal energy
• active solar energy

The main reason for the worldwide slowdown in the construction of nuclear power plants is that

• we have run out of uranium fuel.
• the electricity from nuclear power is generally more expensive to produce than electricity from other sources.
• Nuclear reactors are inherently unsafe.
• nuclear reactors release large quantities of greenhouse gases.

A house that uses passive solar heating in the Northern Hemisphere will

• be built of a material such as concrete or adobe that stores heat well.
• have little insulation.
• have large north-facing windows.
• have an overhang to shade the house from direct winter sun.

Which is an example of the direct use of fossil fuels?

• a nuclear reactor
• an oil-fired furnace
• a wind generator
• a wood-burning stove

Which of the following is not a subsurface mining method?

• quarrying
• solution mining
• long-wall mining
• room-and-pillar mining

A passive solar house in the Southern Hemisphere will face

• north.
• south.
• east.
• west.

Which of the following statements describes the process by which modern nuclear power plants use nuclear energy?

• Power plants use nuclear fusion to split uranium atoms and release nuclear energy.
• Power plants use nuclear fusion to combine atomic nuclei and release nuclear energy.
• Power plants use nuclear fission to split uranium atoms and release nuclear energy.
• Power plants use nuclear fission to combine atomic nuclei and release nuclear energy.