WorksheetsEGR 240
Total questions: 31
Worksheet time: 17mins
What are the two biggest challenges facing energy in today's world?
Running out of fossil fuels
Environmental impacts of our energy choices
Nuclear radiation
Energy access and affordability
Energy cartels that control energy markets
Which paraphrase below best describes the point of the "Wedges Game" (by Pacala and Socolow)?
"Energy can be a divisive topic, and this results in 'wedge' issues that cause conflicts in modern society."
"A wedge is considered a simple machine in physics, so appropriate use of wedges can improve our
effective use of energy."
"There are several existing ways we can reduce our carbon emissions, so we can choose different
combinations of these to meet our carbon reduction targets."
"The Russian invasion of Ukraine began a geopolitical strategy 'game' by countries to replace Russian oil
and gas."
In recent decades, there has been great progress in providing electricity to people. However, one part of
the world still has a lot of people without access. Which part of the world has the most people still lacking
access to electricity?
Amazon jungle
Sub-saharan Africa
Southeast Asia
India
China
After Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Russia's threats to cut off energy supplies to Europe, Europe
tried to import LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) by ship instead. What was one of the major challenges in this
approach?
Lack of infrastructure to import LNG
Unwillingness of countries to ship LNG to Europe
Russian threats against LNG shipping countries
High prices of LNG
Environmental protests against natural gas
Nobel prize winner Richard Smalley gave a list of humanity's top ten problems for the next 50 years. At the
top of his list was "Energy". Why was "energy" listed at the top of his list?
The list is alphabetical, and "energy" was alphabetically first
Richard Smalley is from Texas which is energy-rich with oil, so of course energy is most important
The list is from the perspective of only developed countries, so food and water weren't considered
Enough energy solves the other problems on the list
What is the relationship between power and energy?
Energy = Power * distance
Power = Energy * distance
Power = Energy / time
Energy = Power / time
What does HDI stand for?
Human Development Index, a measure of human wellbeing used by the United Nations
Healthy Diesel Initiative, a European effort to promote clean diesel
Health Data Institute, a government agency that reports on health effects of energy sources
"Help Do It", a slogan of climate activists at the Paris Climate Accords
Initials for a Chinese firm that operates the world's largest coal mines
Which statement best defines "energy intensity" for a country?
The average amount of energy used per person
A measure of the amount of a country's estimated fossil fuel energy resources (coal, oil, natural
gas)
The amount of energy used by the country divided by its gross domestic product
The available wind and solar in the country
For developed countries (like the US, Japan, France, etc.), which statement below best describes the
expected trend in energy use in the future.
Developed countries are expected to see large growth in energy use
Developed countries are expected to see flat or small growth in energy use
Developed countries are expected to see flat or small declines in energy use
Developed countries are expected to see large declines in energy use
Which of the answers below corresponds to the definition of "efficiency of energy conversion"
Power in / useful energy out
Useful power out / energy in
Useful energy out / energy in
Energy in / useful energy out
The cost of retail gasoline vs. the market price of the same amount of crude oil
Which fossil fuel was the first that was widely used for energy.
Coal
Oil
Nuclear
Natural Gas
Wind
Why was the invention of the steam engine so important?
It provided inexpensive steam for people's homes and industries.
It became the engine for Henry Ford to develop the Model T car.
It enabled the conversion of heat into motion.
The steam engine is just a theoretical concept that can't be made practically.
It allowed efficient manufacture of charcoal from wood.
How much of the world's energy use is from fossil fuels? Choose the answer that is the closest approximation.
15%
30%
55%
80%
95%
What is the primary use of coal today?
Generating electricity
Manufacturing cement
Producing coke
Railway engines
Long distance ocean steam ships
Which answer below is the highest grade of coal, with the most energy density?
Anthracite
Bituminous
Lignite
Peat
Perovskite
Which country currently consumes the most coal?
Australia
China
Russia
United States
United Kingdom
Why is some crude oil classified as "sour"?
The oil is held in rocks that do not release it easily
The oil is acidic and so tastes sour
The oil has become rancid so it isn't as useful
The oil has sulfur in it
The oil is from unfriendly countries that refuse to sell to us
What country is the world's largest producer of crude oil?
Australia
China
Russia
United Kingdom
United States
The use of coal in the US has dramatically fallen in recent years. What is the primary reason as discussed in
class?
The US began to run out of coal
Coal seams became too thin to mine cheaply
Natural gas became very cheap
Oil became very expensive
Coal plants had to close because there was no other way to reduce acid rain
Which country has the largest proven reserves of coal, accounting for 25% of the world's coal reserves?
Australia
China
Germany
Russia
United States
Which state in the US is the largest producer of coal?
California
Illinois
Kentucky
Wyoming
Montana
Which country is the source of most of the oil imports for the US?
Australia
Canada
China
Russia
United Arab Emirates
What is West Texas Intermediate (WTI)?
A pipeline in Texas
A type of rock formation that contains oil
An oil pricing benchmark
An export terminal for international oil tankers
A Supreme Court decision that allows western Texas to act like its own country
What is the primary chemical found in natural gas?
Butane
Ethanol
Etheline
Methane
Octane
Which fuel in the list below has the lowest release of carbon dioxide when burned?
Anthracite
Gasoline
Lignite
Natural Gas
Oil
Which energy below has been mentioned in this class as having an Energy Return on Investment (EROI) of
close to 1, indicating that it takes about as much energy invested to get the same amount of energy out?
Coal
Corn-based ethanol
Dung
Shale Oil
Natural Gas
What are the primary pollutants associated with acid rain? Choose the two discussed in class.
CaCO3
CO2
SO2
NaOH
NOx
What are some pollution events mentioned in class that led to a change in perspectives and laws on air
pollution?
Beijing, China, 2013
Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, 2010
Donora, Pennsylvania, USA, 1948
Dresden, Germany, 1945
London, UK, 1953
The US Clean Air Act of 1970 targeted a reduction of 90% of certain emissions. Some notable people
predicted that the regulation was predicted that it would "do irreparable damage to the American
economy", and "could prevent continued production of automobiles". These fears did not happen. Why?
Choose the best answer from below.
Companies innovated to find solutions to meet the emissions targets.
Automobiles switched from coal to gasoline.
The regulation was repealed, as it was too harsh.
Companies planted lots of trees.
The fears were correct - we don't produce automobiles any more.
Which type of nuclear reaction is currently used in nuclear power plants for generating electricity?
Nuclear Fashion
Nuclear Fusion
Nuclear Fission
Nuclear Flotsam
As discussed in class, what are some typical concerns or fears of nuclear power plants?
Nuclear waste disposal
Acid rain
CO2 emissions
Fears of safety
Weaponization of nuclear material for bombs
