wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

Total questions: 15

Worksheet time: 1hrs 16mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

The city of Chernobyl is located in which country?

a)

Latvia

b)

Ukraine

c)

Russia

d)

Germany

2.

Roughly how many people died from the nuclear explosion?

a)

No one died in the explosion.

b)

Exactly 57 people died on impact.

c)

Exactly 100 people died on impact.

d)

The exact number is unknown.

3.

What is one positive outcome from the nuclear disaster?

a)

Radiation from the blast went into the air and spread across much of Eastern and Central Europe.

b)

Animal populations were able to thrive due to a lower human population and freedom to roam.

c)

Radiation from the blast caused negative health concerns and side effects as people aged.

d)

Many people immediately died on impact due to the radius of the blast.

4.

Which reactor at the Chernobyl power plant overheated and exploded?

a)

1

b)

2

c)

3

d)

4

5.

In the article, the boys were preparing to ride a carnival ride for which popular European holiday?

a)

May Day, May 1st

b)

Kingsday, April 27th

c)

Bastille Day, July 14th

d)

St. John's Day, June 23rd

6.

Which of the following best describes the cause of the nuclear explosion?

a)

"Sometime after 1am, the engineers who had spent the previous 24 hours putting Reactor Number 4 through a test were getting nervous."

b)

"It was 30 years ago that Pripyat, a city in Ukraine, and the nearby Chernobyl power plant became known as the site of a nuclear disaster."

c)

"Anywhere from hundreds to millions of people died in the explosion."

d)

"Reactor Number 4, whose sudden increase in power led to the explosion, remains a problem that is neither solved nor solvable."

7.

Why did the engineers want to test Reactor Number 4?


Use a quote from the article that you feel best answers the question above.

4 lines
8.

When Reactor Number 4 began creating too much energy, the engineers put steel rods in the center of the reactor. What should have happened when they did this?

a)

The uranium atoms should have stopped splitting, slowly down the reaction.

b)

The uranium atoms should have continued splitting, keeping the reaction time the same.

c)

The uranium atoms should have stopped splitting, speeding up the reaction.

d)

The uranium atoms should have continued splitting, speeding up the reaction.

9.

According to the article, which of the following BEST explains why Georgi Kopchinsky feels bad talking about Chernobyl?

a)

He feels that he personally caused the disaster at the plant.

b)

He had close friends and family who died in the disaster.

c)

He regrets that he and his colleagues did not act sooner to prevent the disaster.

d)

He regrets that no one knew about the potential dangers of nuclear energy beforehand.

10.

According to the article, with which of the following would Tetiana Verbytska be MOST likely to agree with?

a)

It is OK that we have not fixed the problem yet, because someday our children or grandchildren will figure it out.

b)

This problem is so difficult to solve that we cannot solve it with smart people alone. We need a great deal of money and new technology to help.

c)

Even if we had all the money and technology in the world, there would be nothing we could do to deal with the impossible disaster at Chernobyl.

d)

Even though the Chernobyl disaster is a very tricky problem, I have full confidence in our scientists and our government leaders to figure out this problem in the next few years.

11.

Which of the following BEST explains why the author included the anecdote about Alexandr Sirota and the bumper cars?

a)

to show readers how long ago the disaster took place

b)

to encourage readers to take a political stance against nuclear energy

c)

to demonstrate the peaceful daily life that was ruined by the disaster

d)

to indicate that the day before the disaster was the last happy day of Alexandr Sirota's life

12.

Read the introduction of the article [paragraphs 1-4].

Which of the following BEST explains the introduction's purpose in developing the main idea?

a)

It provides a timeline of key events, then establishes two different viewpoints about the main idea.

b)

It engages the reader with background information about the topic, then provides a personal anecdote.

c)

It piques the reader's curiosity with disturbing imagery about the main event, then describes the reasons for the disaster.

d)

It hooks the reader with a compelling first line about the subject, then provides a summary of the main points of the article.

13.

Using evidence from the text (cite evidence with quotations), explain why Georgi Kopchinsky admits "scientists should have known it could happen."

4 lines
14.

Which quote best describes the extent of the long-term damage caused by the explosion?

a)

"That's when the roof blew off."

b)

"In the sealed environment of the reactor the steam had no place to expand."

c)

"The 10 tons of radioactive waste that flew into the air spread out in all directions over northern, eastern, and central Europe."

d)

"There is a movement, she notes with concern, to shrink the radius of the no man's land that surrounds the plant from 18 miles to six."

15.

What is the current plan to solve the problems caused by the Chernobyl disaster?

Use complete sentence(s) to answer.

4 lines