Name: ________________________ Class: ___________________ Date: __________
ID: A
Chapter 11 - Study Guide
Multiple Choice
Identify the letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____
1. What is the process in which an unstable atomic nucleus emits charged particles or energy or both?
a.
radioactivity
c.
decomposition
b.
oxidation
d.
none of the above
____
2. Uranium-238 undergoes nuclear decay. Therefore, uranium-238 will
a.
remain stable.
c.
emit neutral particles and no energy.
b.
change into a different element
d.
none of the above
altogether.
____
3. What type of nuclear decay produces energy instead of a particle?
a.
alpha decay
c.
gamma decay
b.
beta decay
d.
electron decay
____
4. When radium-226 decays to form radon-222, the radium nucleus emits a(an)
a.
alpha particle.
c.
gamma ray.
b.
beta particle.
d.
electron.
____
5. What type of radiation is emitted when polonium-212 forms lead-208?
a.
an alpha particle
c.
gamma radiation
b.
a beta particle
d.
all of the above
____
6. Carbon-14 forms nitrogen-14 by
a.
alpha decay.
c.
gamma decay.
b.
beta decay.
d.
none of the above
____
7. Alpha-emitting substances, such as radon gas, can be a serious health hazard only if
a.
they are inhaled or eaten.
c.
exposure to them is external.
b.
their radiation strikes the skin.
d.
none of the above
____
8. The half-life of tritium, or hydrogen-3, is 12 years. After about 36 years, how much of a sample of tritium
will be left?
1
1
a.
c.
8
3
1
1
b.
d.
4
2
____
9. The half-life of a radioisotope is the amount of time it takes for
a.
half the sample to decay into something else.
b.
all the sample to decay.
c.
the age of an artifact to be calculated.
d.
detectable radiation to be absorbed by a sample.
____ 10. Which of the following is a radioisotope used to date formerly living material?
a.
carbon-14
c.
cobalt-60
b.
potassium-40
d.
carbon-12
____ 11. Transmutation involves
a.
nuclear change.
b.
chemical change.
c.
both a nuclear change and a chemical change.
d.
neither a nuclear nor chemical change.
1