Nuclear Power Plant – 50 MCQs with Answers

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Q1. Energy released per fission of U-235 atom is about:
A) 10 eV
B) 200 MeV
C) 10 keV
D) 200 keV
Ans: B

Q2. The fuel used in nuclear power plants is mostly:
A) Thorium
B) Uranium
C) Plutonium
D) Both B and C
Ans: D

Q3. The chain reaction in nuclear reactor is controlled by:
A) Moderator
B) Control rods
C) Coolant
D) Shielding
Ans: B

Q4. Moderator is used in a nuclear reactor to:
A) Slow down fast neutrons
B) Absorb neutrons
C) Control power
D) Remove heat
Ans: A

Q5. Which of the following is used as moderator?
A) Heavy water
B) Graphite
C) Beryllium
D) All of the above
Ans: D

Q6. Commonly used control rod material is:
A) Cadmium
B) Boron
C) Hafnium
D) All of the above
Ans: D

Q7. Which of the following is used as nuclear coolant?
A) CO₂
B) Sodium
C) Heavy water
D) All of the above
Ans: D

Q8. Pressurized water reactor (PWR) uses:
A) Light water as coolant and moderator
B) Heavy water as coolant
C) Gas as coolant
D) Sodium as coolant
Ans: A

Q9. Fast breeder reactor uses:
A) Natural uranium
B) Enriched uranium
C) Plutonium
D) Both B and C
Ans: D

Q10. Which reactor produces more fuel than it consumes?
A) Boiling water reactor
B) Fast breeder reactor
C) Pressurized water reactor
D) Gas-cooled reactor
Ans: B

Q11. Thermal efficiency of nuclear power plant is about:
A) 20–30%
B) 35–45%
C) 50–60%
D) 70–80%
Ans: A

Q12. Radiation shielding in reactor is done by:
A) Lead
B) Concrete
C) Water
D) All of the above
Ans: D

Q13. Which of the following is NOT a fissionable material?
A) U-233
B) U-235
C) Pu-239
D) Th-232
Ans: D

Q14. Which of the following is a fertile material?
A) U-233
B) U-235
C) Pu-239
D) Th-232
Ans: D

Q15. The first nuclear power plant in India was:
A) Tarapur
B) Rawatbhata
C) Narora
D) Kalpakkam
Ans: A

Q16. Nuclear waste is dangerous because:
A) It is radioactive
B) It is chemically toxic
C) Both A and B
D) None
Ans: C

Q17. The reactor in which moderator is not used:
A) Fast breeder reactor
B) PWR
C) BWR
D) PHWR
Ans: A

Q18. Which reactor uses heavy water as moderator?
A) PWR
B) PHWR
C) BWR
D) Fast breeder
Ans: B

Q19. The time taken for half of radioactive atoms to decay is called:
A) Mean life
B) Half-life
C) Activity
D) Radiation period
Ans: B

Q20. The coolant in Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) is:
A) CO₂
B) Sodium
C) Light water
D) Heavy water
Ans: C

Q21. The main disadvantage of nuclear power plant is:
A) High maintenance cost
B) High running cost
C) Radioactive waste disposal
D) Low efficiency
Ans: C

Q22. Nuclear fission is:
A) Splitting of heavy nucleus
B) Combining of light nuclei
C) Both A and B
D) None
Ans: A

Q23. Nuclear fusion is:
A) Splitting of heavy nucleus
B) Combining of light nuclei
C) Controlled chain reaction
D) None
Ans: B

Q24. Common fusion fuel is:
A) Uranium
B) Thorium
C) Deuterium and Tritium
D) Plutonium
Ans: C

Q25. India’s fast breeder test reactor is located at:
A) Kalpakkam
B) Narora
C) Kaiga
D) Rawatbhata
Ans: A

Q26. Heavy water is chemically known as:
A) H₂O₂
B) D₂O
C) H₂O
D) D₂O₂
Ans: B

Q27. The neutron absorbing property is called:
A) Moderation
B) Absorption cross-section
C) Diffusion
D) Decay
Ans: B

Q28. Which type of energy is produced in nuclear reactor?
A) Thermal energy
B) Mechanical energy
C) Electrical energy
D) All of the above
Ans: A

Q29. The minimum mass of fissile material required for chain reaction is called:
A) Half-life mass
B) Critical mass
C) Breeding ratio
D) None
Ans: B

Q30. Nuclear fusion requires:
A) Low pressure
B) High temperature
C) Low temperature
D) Heavy water
Ans: B

Q31. A breeder reactor converts:
A) Fertile → Fissile material
B) Fissile → Fertile material
C) Thorium → Uranium
D) None
Ans: A

Q32. In nuclear plants, turbine is driven by:
A) Steam
B) Gas
C) Coolant
D) Hot air
Ans: A

Q33. The by-product of nuclear reactor operation is:
A) Plutonium
B) Thorium
C) Graphite
D) Lead
Ans: A

Q34. Fuel enrichment means:
A) Increasing % of U-235
B) Decreasing % of U-235
C) Increasing neutron flux
D) None
Ans: A

Q35. Activity of radioactive material is measured in:
A) Curie
B) Becquerel
C) Rutherford
D) All of the above
Ans: D

Q36. Which of the following power plant has the least fuel transportation cost?
A) Thermal
B) Nuclear
C) Hydro
D) Diesel
Ans: B

Q37. The fuel consumption of nuclear power plant is:
A) Very high
B) High
C) Very low
D) Moderate
Ans: C

Q38. Nuclear power plant is most suitable for:
A) Peak load
B) Base load
C) Standby load
D) None
Ans: B

Q39. Which radiation has maximum penetrating power?
A) Alpha
B) Beta
C) Gamma
D) Neutrons
Ans: C

Q40. In India, uranium ore is mostly found in:
A) Karnataka
B) Jharkhand
C) Rajasthan
D) Odisha
Ans: B

Q41. Which reactor type is used in Tarapur atomic power station?
A) BWR
B) PWR
C) PHWR
D) Fast breeder
Ans: A

Q42. Narora nuclear power plant uses:
A) PWR
B) BWR
C) PHWR
D) Fast breeder
Ans: C

Q43. Kudankulam nuclear power plant is based on:
A) BWR
B) PWR (VVER type)
C) PHWR
D) Fast breeder
Ans: B

Q44. Shielding in reactors is provided for:
A) Heat removal
B) Protection from radiation
C) Increase efficiency
D) Reduce cost
Ans: B

Q45. The neutron slowing down process is called:
A) Absorption
B) Moderation
C) Diffusion
D) Fission
Ans: B

Q46. The first nuclear test in India (Pokhran I) used:
A) Uranium
B) Plutonium
C) Thorium
D) Deuterium
Ans: B

Q47. Nuclear fuel cycle includes:
A) Mining
B) Enrichment
C) Reprocessing and waste disposal
D) All of the above
Ans: D

Q48. The average life of nuclear power plant is:
A) 20 years
B) 40 years
C) 60 years
D) 100 years
Ans: B

Q49. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of nuclear power plant?
A) Low running cost
B) High reliability
C) Eco-friendly with no emissions
D) Easy waste disposal
Ans: D

Q50. The nuclear power share in India’s total installed capacity is about:
A) 1%
B) 3%
C) 7%
D) 15%
Ans: B