Multiple Choice
Identify the
letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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| 1. | Radioactive materials have unstable a. | electrons. | c. | protons. | b. | nuclei. | d. | neutrons. | | | | |
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| 2. | After
the nucleus of a radioactive element undergoes changes, the element can transform
into a. | a different
isotope of the same element. | c. | both a and
b | b. | an entirely
different element. | d. | neither a nor
b | | | | |
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| 3. | Alpha
particles a. | are positively
charged. | b. | consist of two protons and four
neutrons. | c. | can penetrate any thickness of
matter. | d. | all of the above | | |
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| 4. | The
type of nuclear radiation that can penetrate farthest through matter is called a. | radons. | c. | neutron
emission. | b. | gamma rays. | d. | X-rays. | | | | |
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| 5. | The
process of nuclear change in an atom of radioactive material is called a. | nuclear
decay. | c. | nuclear
mass. | b. | isotopes. | d. | radon. | | | | |
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| 6. | Nuclear radiation refers to charged particles or energy emitted by an
unstable a. | proton. | c. | nucleus. | b. | atom. | d. | isotope. | | | | |
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| 7. | In
alpha decay, the mass number of the atom before the decay a. | equals the sum
of the mass numbers of the products. | b. | does not change after the decay. | c. | is the same as
the atomic number. | d. | cannot be determined. | | |
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| 8. | Alpha
particles are nuclei of a. | oxygen. | c. | helium. | b. | nitrogen. | d. | radium. | | | | |
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| 9. | As
beta particles ionize they a. | lose energy. | c. | neither lose nor gain energy. | b. | gain
energy. | d. | none of the
above. | | | | |
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| 10. | During beta decay, a nucleus a. | gives up two protons and two
neutrons. | b. | maintains the same number of protons and
neutrons. | c. | loses a proton and gains a neutron. | d. | gains a proton
and loses a neutron. | | |
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| 11. | When
a nucleus undergoes nuclear decay by gamma rays, the atomic number of the element a. | remains the
same. | c. | decreases by
one. | b. | increases by
one. | d. | increases by
two. | | | | |
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| 12. | In
radioactive decay, with each successive half-life, half the remaining sample decays to form
another a. | nucleus. | c. | life-form. | b. | element. | d. | proton. | | | | |
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| 13. | The
attractive force between protons and neutrons in a nucleus caused by the strong nuclear force acts
only a. | outside the
nucleus. | c. | only in unstable
isotopes. | b. | over a very short distance. | d. | intermittently. | | | | |
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| 14. | Nuclei with too many or too few neutrons are a. | never
found. | c. | unnatural. | b. | unstable. | d. | stable. | | | | |
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| 15. | The
process of the production of lighter nuclei from heavier nuclei is called a. | mass
energy. | c. | magnetism. | b. | fusion. | d. | fission. | | | | |
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| 16. | Fusion occurs when nuclei a. | split. | c. | mutate. | b. | combine. | d. | gain
energy. | | | | |
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| 17. | The
opposite reaction to fusion is called a. | beta decay. | c. | fission. | b. | alpha
decay. | d. | neutron
transmission. | | | | |
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| 18. | In
the equation E = mc2, "c" stands for a. | carbon. | c. | the speed of
light. | b. | the total energy. | d. | the size of the particle. | | | | |
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| 19. | A
fission chain reaction can be slowed by using materials that will a. | absorb some of
the neutrons. | b. | convert some of the neutrons to
protons. | c. | increase the rate of the neutron
multiplication. | d. | decrease the amount of available oxygen in the
air. | | |
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| 20. | Background radiation can come from a. | the sun. | c. | plants. | b. | water. | d. | all of the
above | | | | |
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| 21. | Our
body tissues are normally protected from most background radiation by a. | special
deflectors in the atmosphere. | b. | our outer skin. | c. | staying indoors
or in protected areas. | d. | special molecules within our bodies that fight
radiation. | | |
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| 22. | Radon-222 is produced a. | by smoking cigarettes. | b. | in nuclear power
plants. | c. | through a series of nuclear reactions of uranium-238 in
Earth’s crust. | d. | as a result of rotting wood in the basements of
houses. | | |
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| 23. | The
particles that are released by the radioactive sources in smoke alarms have charge and produce
a(n) a. | odor. | c. | electric
current. | b. | beam of light. | d. | sound. | | | | |
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| 24. | Radioactive tracers are short-lived a. | drugs. | c. | tumors. | b. | isotopes. | d. | rays. | | | | |
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| 25. | To
treat certain brain tumors, doctors can use small beams of ____ that are focused to kill only the
tumor cells. a. | X-rays | c. | alpha
rays | b. | beta
rays | d. | gamma
rays | | | | |
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| 26. | The
use of nuclear reactors to generate electricity is a. | decreasing
rapidly. | c. | found in dozens
of countries. | b. | found only in the United
States. | d. | totally
safe. | | | | |
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| 27. | The
ideal location for a radioactive-waste storage facility is one that is a. | in a sparsely
populated area. | c. | far away from
ground water | b. | in an area free from
earthquakes. | d. | all of the
above | | | | |
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| 28. | When
a fusion reactor for safely generating energy is developed, the element that could meet Earth's
energy demands for millions of years is a. | oxygen. | c. | hydrogen. | b. | nitrogen. | d. | lithium. | | | | |
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Completion
Complete each sentence or
statement.
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| | 29. | Nuclei with more than 83 protons are always unstable, no matter how many
____________________ they have.
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| | 30. | The
ability to create a chain reaction depends on the number of ____________________
released.
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Short Answer
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| | 31. | In
this example, the helium is also known as what?
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| | 32. | What
type of particle is emitted when carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14?
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| | 33. | What
is the time required for half a sample of radioactive nuclei to decay called?
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| | 34. | After
three half-lives, what fraction of the original radioactive element remains?
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| | 35. | To
determine the age of fairly recent remains (in the tens of thousands of years as opposed to millions
of years), scientists compare the ratio of what two elements?
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