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 did Marion Hubbert do an analysis that showed oil will never completely run out?

2. How many tons of gasoline mixed with air and detonated from a parachute, release the energy of over 100 tons of TNT?

3. How much of a rem is in tooth X-rays?

4. When the book was written, was the the total world production of oil per year?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does the author believe solar power is not practical for automobiles?

2. How does radioactivity go away?

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

4. What does the author say about the ineptness of suicide bombers?

5. How have gasoline and oil been used in the past?

6. 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?

7. What is the greatest threat when it comes to nuclear weapons getting into the hands of terrorists, and why might that be a relatively low threat?

8. What happened to anthrax that was grown in Soviet laboratories, and what threat could it still pose?

9. What is radioactivity and radiation?

10. How does food compare in energy to gasoline and to TNT?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Analogies are used to compare an unfamiliar object or idea to a familiar one in an attempt to explain the unfamiliar. How does the author use analogies in the book? How do analogies help readers understand unfamiliar ideas or understand events?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,109 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample