Nuclear Science Nuclear Age Competitive Exams
50 questions · General Knowledge
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Question 1 of 50
India's first nuclear test in 1974, code-named 'Smiling Buddha', was held at
ExplanationIt was conducted in Rajasthan.
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Question 2 of 50
A fast breeder reactor is one that
ExplanationIt converts fertile U-238 into plutonium-239.
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Question 3 of 50
The 2015 JCPOA (Iran nuclear deal) was agreed between Iran and
ExplanationThe P5+1 are China, France, Russia, the UK and the USA plus Germany.
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Question 4 of 50
The first nuclear weapon test, code-named Trinity, was conducted in 1945 in
ExplanationIt took place on 16 July 1945 and began the nuclear age.
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Question 5 of 50
The atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki on 9 August 1945, 'Fat Man', used
ExplanationIt was an implosion-type plutonium bomb.
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Question 6 of 50
The neutron was discovered in 1932 by
ExplanationIt made nuclear fission research possible.
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Question 7 of 50
SALT I (1972) was an agreement between the USA and USSR to
ExplanationIt was signed by Nixon and Brezhnev.
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Question 8 of 50
The 'nuclear winter' hypothesis suggests that
ExplanationSoot blocking sunlight would lower global temperatures.
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Question 9 of 50
Critical mass is the
ExplanationBelow it, the chain reaction dies out.
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Question 10 of 50
The nuclear model of the atom, with a small dense nucleus, was proposed by
ExplanationIt came from his gold-foil experiment of 1911.
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Question 11 of 50
Control rods in a reactor are made of materials such as boron or cadmium to
ExplanationInserting them reduces the chain reaction.
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Question 12 of 50
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is known for maintaining the
ExplanationIt symbolises how close humanity is to global catastrophe.
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Question 13 of 50
Marie and Pierre Curie discovered the radioactive elements
ExplanationThey announced them in 1898.
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Question 14 of 50
The relation between mass and energy released in nuclear reactions is expressed by
ExplanationA small amount of mass converts into a large amount of energy.
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Question 15 of 50
The 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty prohibited nuclear tests
ExplanationUnderground tests were still allowed.
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Question 16 of 50
President Eisenhower's 'Atoms for Peace' speech of 1953 promoted
ExplanationIt led to the creation of the IAEA.
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Question 17 of 50
A hydrogen bomb, also called a thermonuclear weapon, mainly depends on
ExplanationA fission bomb provides the heat needed for fusion.
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Question 18 of 50
The Cuban Missile Crisis, which brought the USA and USSR close to nuclear war, occurred in
ExplanationIt was triggered by Soviet missiles in Cuba.
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Question 19 of 50
START I, signed in 1991 by the USA and USSR, was a treaty on
ExplanationSTART stands for Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.
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Question 20 of 50
The world's first nuclear power plant to supply electricity to a grid (1954) was at
ExplanationIt had a capacity of about 5 MW.
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Question 21 of 50
Tsar Bomba, tested by the USSR in 1961, was
ExplanationIt had a yield of about 50 megatons.
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Question 22 of 50
Natural uranium contains about ______ of uranium-235.
ExplanationMost natural uranium is uranium-238.
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Question 23 of 50
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurred in 1986 in
ExplanationReactor No. 4 exploded on 26 April 1986.
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Question 24 of 50
'Mutually Assured Destruction' (MAD) is the idea that
ExplanationIt was a core Cold War deterrence concept.
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Question 25 of 50
The main fissile isotope used in nuclear reactors is
ExplanationUranium-238 is not easily fissioned by slow neutrons.
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Question 26 of 50
Nuclear fission was discovered experimentally in 1938 by
ExplanationLise Meitner and Otto Frisch gave the theoretical explanation.
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Question 27 of 50
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was adopted in
ExplanationIt bans all nuclear explosions but has not yet entered into force.
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Question 28 of 50
The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) came into force in
ExplanationIt was opened for signature in 1968.
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Question 29 of 50
Plutonium-239 is produced in reactors from
ExplanationIt can be used as reactor fuel or in weapons.
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Question 30 of 50
Calder Hall, opened in 1956, was the world's first
ExplanationIt was located in England.
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Question 31 of 50
The Three Mile Island accident of 1979 occurred in
ExplanationIt was a partial core meltdown.
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Question 32 of 50
The Soviet Union conducted its first atomic bomb test in
ExplanationIt was carried out at Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan.
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Question 33 of 50
The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 was nicknamed
ExplanationIt was a gun-type uranium bomb.
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Question 34 of 50
The 1967 Outer Space Treaty prohibits
ExplanationIt also bars claims of national sovereignty over celestial bodies.
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Question 35 of 50
Nuclear fission is the
ExplanationIt is the process used in nuclear reactors and atomic bombs.
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Question 36 of 50
Nuclear fusion is the
ExplanationIt is the energy source of the Sun.
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Question 37 of 50
A moderator in a nuclear reactor is used to
ExplanationCommon moderators are water, heavy water and graphite.
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Question 38 of 50
The International Nuclear Event Scale (INES), used to rate nuclear accidents, ranges from
ExplanationChernobyl and Fukushima were both rated 7.
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Question 39 of 50
The 1987 INF Treaty, signed by Reagan and Gorbachev, eliminated
ExplanationIt covered missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 km.
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Question 40 of 50
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in
ExplanationIt promotes peaceful nuclear use and inspects safeguards.
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Question 41 of 50
Reactor fuel is typically enriched to about
ExplanationWeapons-grade uranium is enriched to about 90% or more.
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Question 42 of 50
The Manhattan Project was
ExplanationIts scientific work at Los Alamos was directed by J. Robert Oppenheimer.
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Question 43 of 50
Radioactivity was discovered in 1896 by
ExplanationHe found that uranium salts emit penetrating rays.
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Question 44 of 50
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident of 2011 was triggered by
ExplanationIt took place in Japan on 11 March 2011.
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Question 45 of 50
The Treaty of Tlatelolco (1967) created a nuclear-weapon-free zone in
ExplanationIt was the first such treaty covering a densely populated region.
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Question 46 of 50
The first US hydrogen bomb test (Ivy Mike) took place in
ExplanationIt was conducted at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific.
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Question 47 of 50
The NPT recognises as nuclear-weapon states those that had tested before 1967: the USA, USSR/Russia, UK, France and
ExplanationThese are also the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
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Question 48 of 50
The 1939 Einstein–Szilard letter to President Roosevelt warned about
ExplanationIt encouraged the US to start nuclear research.
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Question 49 of 50
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) was adopted at the UN in 2017 and entered into force in
ExplanationThe nuclear-armed states have not joined it.
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Question 50 of 50
The first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, in 1942, was achieved by
ExplanationIt took place under the University of Chicago's stadium.
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