"Energy Jeopardy" Round 1

Renewable Energy

100

Which of the following, given forms of energy is a renewable resource??? A. Synthetic oil B. Breeder fission C. Biomass D. Oil shale E. Synthetic Natural Gas

C. Biomass. Renewable means that they will theoretically will last indefinitely either because they are replaced naturally at a higher rate than they are consumed or because their source is essentially inexhaustible.

200

Which of the following positive effects of wind power is FALSE? A.) Quick to build B.) Low maintenance C.) High net energy yield D.) Every turbine comes with a free muffin E.) No pollution

D. Sadly, there are no free muffins :(

300

The fastest-growing renewable energy resource today is which of the following? A.) Solar B.) Coal C.) Wind D.) Large-scale hydroelectric E.) Geothermal

C.) Wind. Durring the 1990's, wind power experienced an annual growth of 22%. Wind power supplies less than 2% of the energy used in the United States. The country with the largest sector of its energy needs met through wind power is Denmark at 8%.

400

Which of the following places in the world is geothermal energy currently NOT practiced in? A.) Hawaii B.) Japan C.) Russia D.) Mexico E.) United Kingdom

E.) United Kingdom. Areas of known geothermal resources tend to follow tectonic plate boundaries.

500

In the following diagram, where is the "power split device"?

C.) C. The power split device is the heart of the hybrid. This is a clever gearbox that hooks the gasoline engine, generator and electric motor together. The power split device also allows the car to operate like a series hybrid -- the gasoline engine can operate independently of the vehicle speed, charging the batteries or providing power to the wheels as needed.

Nuclear

100

What happens in a fission reaction? A.) Atom combines with another nuclei B.) Atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei, as well as free neutrons C.) Atom explodes and every single neutron and proton separates outwards from each other, releasing energy D.) A nuclear warhead is denotated, and the explosion is controlled and converted to energy

B.) Atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei, as well as free neutrons. This causes a chain reaction as the free neutron hits other big molecules, which causes them to separate.

200

Which of the following is an advantage to nuclear power? A.) Releases 1/6 the amount of CO2 of a coal plant B.) Releases 1/2 the amount of CO2 of a coal plant C.) Completely safe D.) High water pollution E.) Inexpensive to decommission

A.) Releases 1/6 the amount of CO2 of a coal. This could potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

300

Which of the following is NOT a consequence of the Chernobyl accident? A.) At least 500,000 people were exposed to dangerous radiation levels B.) Hurt multiple economies C.) Birth defects in pregnant women D.) Parts of Germany and Denmark were exposed to varying degrees of radiation E.) All are consequences

E.) All are consequences. The accident caused direct and indirect problems.

400

Which of the following is advantage of using NUCLEAR FUSION is false? A.) Abundant fuel supply B.) No generation of weapons-grade material C.) No air pollution D.) No high-level nuclear waste E.) All are true

E.) All are advantages. It is important to note that this question is about nuclear FUSION, as supposed to nuclear fission. The main fuel used in fusion reactors, deuterium, could be readily extracted from ordinary water. A fusion plant that produces the same amount of electricity as a coal plant only emits 4 pounds of harmless helium as a waste product.

500

Identify the neutron moderator in the following diagram.

A. Assuming that the grey box represents graphite, A is the most likely choice. The neutron moderator is a medium that reduces the velocity of fast neutrons, thereby turning them into thermal neutrons capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction. These can often be water or graphite shielding.

Coal

100

Which country currently ranks number one in utilizing coal combustion? A.) Russian federation B.) United States C.) India D.) China E.) Brazil

B.) United States. KNOW THAT!

200

Which of the following is true about coal power? A.) Ample supplies (225-900 years) B.) High net energy yield C.) Low cost (with huge subsidies) D.) Air pollution can be reduced with improved technology (but adds to cost) E.) None of these things are valid.

E.) They are all advantages to using coal power. However, there are still much more severe disadvantages to using coal power.

300

It takes the following amount of time for the remains of land plants to become coal (with intense heat and pressure): A.) 5 million years B.) 10 million years C.) 300-400 years D.) 300-400 million years E.) 1 billion years

D.) 300-400 million years. This is why it is not a renewable resource.

400

Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage to mountaintop removal mining in the US? A.) High potential for human health impacts B.) Expensive C.) Disturbs the ecosystem of the area D.) Damaged land is often left unrestored E.) All are disadvantages

D.) According to the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA), a program was developed for the reclamation of abandoned mine lands. Additionally, it is often required for the land to be restored once it's been used.

500

Which of the following types of coal has the highest sulfur content? A.) Lignite B.) Peat C.) Anthracite D.) Bituminous

D.) Bituminous. The rest have low sulfur content.

Natural Gas and Oil

100

Natural gas can be classified as which of the following? A.) A single naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas B.) A mixture of naturally occurring hydrocarbon gases C.) An energy source that releases minimal harmful gases no matter how it's used D.) An expensive energy source

B.) A mixture of naturally occurring hydrocarbon gas. The other facts about natural gas are all false.

200

Which chemical does natural gas mostly consist of? A.) CH4 B.) CO2 C.) H2 D.) VOC's E.) C2H6

A.) Natural gas is mostly CH4. Does this have a greater or smaller environmental impact than CO2?

300

Which country(s) has 40% of the world reserves of natural gas? A.) Russia and Kazakhstan B.) US C.) Middle East D.) Both A and B E.) China

A.) Russia and Kazakhstan. This was on the powerpoint!

400

Which of the following is NOT emitted into the atmosphere when oil is consumed? A.) SO2 B.) NOx C.) CO2 D.) Both B and C E.) All of these

E.) All of the three chemicals listed are emitted when oil is consumed.

500

What type of rock is oil most likely found trapped beneath? A.) Sandstone B.) Limestone C.) Iron Oxide D.) Cinnabar E.) Copper Oxide

B.) Limestone. Usually found trapped in a layer of porous sandstone, just BENEATH a dome of nonporous rock like limestone.

General Energy Stuff

100

Which of the following is NOT a renewable resource? A.) Biomass B.) Geothermal C.) Hydropower D.) Solar E.) All are renewable resources

E.) All are renewable resources. KNOW THAT!

200

The lowest average generating cost (cents per kWh) comes from what energy source? A.) Large hydroelectric facilities B.) Geothermal C.) Nuclear D.) Solar photovolatic E.) Coal

A.) Nonrenewable resources of energy, such as natural gas or oil, have had recent and dramatic price increases that have resulted in major increases in the cost of electricity. Renewable resources of energy, like hydroelectric, is mostly inexpensive for producing electricity.

300

Which of the following forms of energy has low, short-term availability? A.) Solar energy B.) Synthetic oil derived from coal C.) Nuclear Energy D.) Coal E.) Petroleum

E.) At the current rate of consumption, global oil reserves are expected to last another 45-50 years. With projections of increased consumption in the near future, this figure will be even lower.

400

Which of the following terms is NOT a unit of power? A.) Joule/s B.) Horsepower C.) Kilowatt D.) Joule E.) All are units of power

D.) A joule is a unit of energy.

500

Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of hydrogen fuel cells? A.) Takes energy to produce hydrogen from either water or methane. B.) Changing from a current fossil fuel system to a hydrogen-based sustem would be very expensive. C.) Hydrogen gas is explosive D.) Difficult to store hydrogen gas for personal cars E.) All are disadvantages.

E.) All are disadvantages of hydrogen fuel cells (according to Barron's APES).