Fossil Fuels and Plastics

Multiple Choice Quiz

Multiple choice quiz of 20 questions.
Try it as often as you like.
You will get a different set of questions each time you attempt this quiz.

What is the missing word in the following sentence? "A fuel is a substance that burns in _______________ to produce energy".
1. Oxygen
2. Nitrogen
3. Carbon dioxide
4. Methane
Which one of the following substances is not a good source of heat energy?
1. Water
2. Oil
3. Peat
4. Coal
Which one of the following is NOT a fossil fuel?
1. Uranium
2. Natural gas
3. Coal
4. Turf
Which TWO of the following were formed from animals and plants that once lived under the sea?
1. Crude oil
2. Natural gas
3. Timber
4. Coal
Of the following elements, which two are the main constituents of fossil fuels?
1. Carbon
2. Hydrogen
3. Silicon
4. Gold
Hydrocarbons are made of
1. carbon and hydrogen
2. carbon and oxygen
3. hydrogen and oxygen
4. hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen
Which one of the following gases is NOT a greenhouse gas?
1. Hydrogen
2. Methane
3. Water vapour
4. Carbon dioxide
With reference to the greenhouse effect, which one of the following statements is NOT correct?
1. The greenhouse effect is mainly caused by gases escaping from greenhouses and glasshouses.
2. Long wavelength heat rays reflected from the earth's surface cannot escape from the earth's atmosphere.
3. The temperature of the earth is slowly increasing due to heat being trapped in its atmosphere.
4. Short wavelength heat rays from the sun penetrate the earth's atmosphere.
Which one of the following activities is most unlikely to contribute to Global Warming?
1. Acid rain
2. Burning of fossil fuels
3. Cutting down of rainforests
4. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide
Methane is a greenhouse gas. It is produced by
1. emissions from dumps
2. wind energy
3. the production of steel
4. burning fossil fuels
Which greenhouse gas is caused by grazing cattle?
1. Methane
2. Carbon dioxide
3. Water vapour
4. Nitrogen
Which TWO of the following effects are most likely caused by Global Warming?
1. Melting of the polar caps
2. Rising sea levels
3. Extinction of the panda bear
4. Increase in the earth's population
Which one of the following acids is formed when carbon dioxide mixes with clouds in the atmosphere?
1. Carbonic acid
2. Hydrochloric acid
3. Nitric acid
4. Sulfuric acid
Which one of the following does not contribute to acid rain?
1. Hydrogen peroxide
2. Carbon dioxide
3. Sulfur dioxide
4. The oxides of nitrogen
Which TWO of the following are caused by acid rain?
1. Defoliation of trees
2. Fish kills
3. Forest fires
4. Tsunamis
Which one of the following would best reduce Climate Change?
1. Use wind energy in generating electricity
2. Drive cars faster so that there is less time spent on journeys
3. Eat more organic food
4. Use unleaded petrol instead of diesel in car engines
What type of fuel consisting of hydrocarbons, was formed millions of years ago from the fossilised remains of plants and animals?
1. Fossil fuel
2. Nuclear fuel
3. Biofuel
4. Wood
From the following, select the correct word equation for the burning of a fossil fuel.
1. Fossil fuel + oxygen ➞ carbon dioxide + water
2. Fossil fuel + carbon dioxide ➞ oxygen + water
3. Fossil fuel + water ➞ carbon dioxide + oxygen
4. Fossil fuel + nitrogen ➞ nitrogen oxide + oxygen
Which one of the following is not a constituent of acid rain?
1. Citric acid
2. Nitric acid
3. Carbonic acid
4. Sulfuric acid
The effects of acid rain may be reduced by
1. decreasing the sulfur content of fuels.
2. burning more fossil fuels.
3. burning smokeless coal only.
4. recycling more plastic bottles.
In the catalytic converter of the automobile, poisonous carbon monoxide is converted into
1. carbon dioxide
2. sulfur dioxide
3. oxygen
4. water vapour
In fractional distillation, crude oil is separated into fractions on the basis of their
1. boiling points
2. melting points
3. densities
4. colours
The breaking up of large molecules that are found in crude oil, into smaller molecules is called
1. cracking
2. distillation
3. filtration
4. refining
Plastics are made of polymers. Polymers are made from joining together many small molecules called
1. monomers
2. plastics
3. catalysts
4. polythene
The process whereby many small molecules called monomers join together to form a much larger molecule is called
1. polymerisation
2. distillation
3. filtration
4. neutralisation
Which one of the following is NOT an advantage of plastics?
1. They can be made from salt and water
2. They are cheap to produce
3. They can be made into almost any shape
4. They do not corrode
Which one of the following is not a man-made plastic?
1. Silk
2. Polystyrene
3. Polythene
4. Nylon
A plastic that decomposes over a period of time is said to be
1. biodegradable
2. corrosive
3. flexible
4. a good insulator
Which one of the following is a man-made plastic?
1. Polystyrene
2. Wax
3. Cellulose
4. Rubber
Which one of the following is NOT a property of plastics?
1. They react readily with metals
2. They generally have low densities
3. They can be moulded into many different shapes
4. They are good electrical insulators
Biodegradable plastics are broken down in the environment by
1. micro-organisms
2. insects
3. oxygen in the atmosphere
4. slugs and caterpillars
Most plastics are made from chemicals that are found in
1. crude oil
2. seawater
3. olive oil
4. mines
Which one of the following is not an example of an everyday plastic?
1. Polygon
2. Polythene
3. PVC
4. Polystyrene
A large molecule made of many small molecules joined together is called
1. a polymer
2. a polygon
3. a polythene
4. a polyhedron
Plastic bags used by supermarkets are made from the polymer called
1. polythene
2. polystyrene
3. PVC
4. polygon
Starch is an example of a natural polymer. It is made from a chain of sugar molecules called
1. glucose
2. sucrose
3. fructose
4. lactose
Plastics are very useful because of their properties. Which one of the following would not make a good property of plastics?
1. Good electrical conductors
2. Very flexible
3. Easily shaped
4. Durable
Polystyrene is used in making DVD cases, yoghurt pots and plastic cutlery. Which one of the following properties makes it suitable for these uses?
1. Hard, brittle, rigid
2. Very low density
3. Excellent heat insulator
4. Soft and waterproof
Expanded polystyrene is used in insulation and disposable coffee cups. Which one of the following properties makes it suitable for these uses?
1. Very low density and good heat insulator
2. Hard and brittle
3. Waterproof
4. Electrical insulator
Polythene is used in plastic bags. Which one of the following properties makes it suitable for this?
1. Strong, flexible and waterproof
2. Very low density
3. Durable and rigid
4. Good electrical conductor
PVC is used in electric cable insulation. Which one of the following properties makes it suitable for this?
1. Good electrical insulator
2. Rigid
3. Can be spun into woven materials
4. It is not expensive
Nylon is used in carpets and ropes. Which one of the following properties makes it suitable for this?
1. Fibres can be spun into woven materials
2. Rigid
3. Flexible
4. Excellent heat insulator
Which one of the following is a disadvantage of plastics?
1. Most are non-biodegradable
2. They are cheap
3. They can easily be shaped
4. They are waterproof
It is not advisable to burn plastics because
1. burning produces toxic fumes
2. it is expensive
3. they are difficult to burn
4. they are unreactive
Starch-based packing ‘peanuts’ are used to prevent damage to fragile objects during shipping. They can safely be disposed of by
1. dissolving them in water
2. burning them in air
3. burying in a landfill site
4. eating them in a meal
Plastics can be recycled in different ways. It is possible to melt and remould some plastics.
1. TRUE
2. FALSE
Plastics can be disposed of by incineration.
What is meant by incineration?
1. Burning hazardous materials at temperatures high enough to destroy contaminants.
2. Disposing of waste in landfills.
3. Recycling plastic materials.
4. Breaking plastics into very small pieces that can be recycled.
The waste hierarchy consists of 3 R’s. What do these three R's represent?
1. Reduce, reuse and recycle
2. Reduce, repair and recycle
3. Repair, relay and recycle
4. Reuse, recycle and repair
Gutters and window frames need to be strong and weather resistant. Which one of the following polymers would be most suitable for this?
1. PVC
2. Nylon
3. Polythene
4. Polystyrene