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

Short Answer Questions

1. About how much energy does a large nuclear plant produce?

2. How long did the author believe it would take for a true power tokamak to become a reality in Chapter 14?

3. How high in altitude must a person travel to be awarded astronaut wings by the United States?

4. How how long could the lasers mentioned in Chapter 14 deliver a power of 500 trillion watts?

5. When was Iraq attempting to develop nuclear weapons?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why is it not necessary to enrich the uranium in a nucelar reactor, and what types of moderators can be used?

2. What are the GRACE satellites, and what are some things that they have measured?

3. What happened to the space shuttle Challenger?

4. What does Muller say about the safety of a space shuttle?

5. What is the weapon paradox?

6. What theory did Milutin Milankovic use to explain the cyclic pattern of the ice ages?

7. What was learned about the climate of the past from glaciers covering Greenland?

8. What happened to the space shuttle Columbia, and why does the author think what happened should not be a suprise?

9. In Chapter 13, what are the pros and cons of using depleted uranium in the shells of hydrogen bombs?

10. At the end of Chapter 14, what does the author believe about nuclear power in the U.S.?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The sun can be used to produce energy. What are some uses of solar energy? What are some practical and not practical ways to use solar energy?

Essay Topic 2

Some people believe that oil is in short supply. Why are people concerned that oil reserves will run out? How does new technology make it possible to extract more oil? How can oil be produced? Why does a study from 1956 indicate that the oil supply will never be totally depleted?

Essay Topic 3

Anecdotes are short stories used by an author to provide personal knowledge or experience of a topic being discussed. What are some anecdotes the author uses in the book? How does the use of anecdotes help readers understand concepts?

(see the answer keys)

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