View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. When was it rumored that Saddam Hussein tested a dirty bomb?

2. How much bomb-grade uranium or plutonium would be needed to make a weapon in the kiloton range?

3. What limit in Chapter 8, did the U.S. government set as a limit for the general public's exposure to radioactivity?

4. How many kilotons of TNT were used by Al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001?

5. In fallout from a nuclear bomb, what material is most likely to cause the most human deaths?

Short Essay Questions

1. What are some things that are and are not radioactive?

2. What anecdote does the author share regarding a conversation between one of his student's and a physicist?

3. What was the Davy Crockett weapon?

4. How does the energy released by jet fuel or gasoline compare to TNT, and why is TNT used instead of other sources with more energy?

5. How did the terrorists who carried out the bombing of the World Trade Center use their basic knowledge of airport security?

6. Why is oil used so widely instead of other types of energy?

7. What are hydrogen bombs and their power?

8. How might a solar plane be useful for surveillance?

9. What is radioactivity and radiation?

10. How does radioactivity go away?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Muller’s book is based on a class he taught at Berkeley. Why did Muller start the physics class for non-physicists? Why did he write the book?

Essay Topic 2

In 1979, a nuclear reactor ran out of control and a third of its uranium fuel melted. What happened during the incident at Three Mile Island? How much radiation was released by the accident? How was the perception of the accident worse than its reality?

Essay Topic 3

The 9/11 attacks were an example of low-tech terrorism. What is the difference between low-tech and high-tech terrorism? Why might terrorists prefer low-tech terrorism?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,045 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample