Test Your Nuclear IQ

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  • 1/20 Questions

    Which countries currently have nuclear weapons?

    • United States, Russia, Libya, France, China, Pakistan, Israel, Iran, North Korea
    • United States, Germany, France, Russia, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan
    • United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, France, China, Brazil
    • United States, China, United Kingdom, France, Russia, India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea
    • United States, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, China
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About This Quiz

If you’re not a science buff, the term “nuclear” probably stands out because you’ll have heard about nuclear weapons in the news, or you’ll have heard about it on a television show. How much do you really know about it, however? Test your Nuclear IQ in this quiz and find out!

Science Quizzes & Trivia

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  • 2. 

    How much time does the President of the United States have to decide whether to launch nuclear missiles if warning systems detect a possible attack?

    • Around 15 minutes

    • Half an hour

    • A few hours

    Correct Answer
    A. Around 15 minutes
    Explanation
    The President of the United States has around 15 minutes to decide whether to launch nuclear missiles if warning systems detect a possible attack. This limited time frame is due to the urgency and time-sensitive nature of a potential nuclear attack. In such a scenario, quick decision-making is crucial to ensure the safety and security of the nation.

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  • 3. 

    The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty:

    • Recognizes only five nuclear weapons states

    • Forbids non-nuclear weapons states from acquiring nuclear technology

    • Allows for peaceful civilian uses of nuclear energy

    • Calls for conventional (non-nuclear) military disarmament

    • All of the above

    Correct Answer
    A. All of the above
    Explanation
    9. “THE TREATY ON THE NON-PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS” (original text) accessed: [http://www.un.org/events/npt2005/npttreaty.html]

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  • 4. 

    Which of the following has more nuclear weapons? 3

    • India

    • Pakistan

    • A Russian ICBM

    • A US nuclear submarine

    • Iran

    Correct Answer
    A. A US nuclear submarine
    Explanation
    3. An Ohio-class submarine holds 24 MIRVed Trident missiles, each holding several warheads. Federation of American Scientists—“SSBN-726 Ohio-Class FBM Submarines” accessed: [http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/man/uswpns/navy/submarines/ssbn726_ohio.html]

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  • 5. 

    What are the ways nuclear weapons could be delivered to their target?

    • Intercontinental, Medium-, and Short-Range Ballistic Missiles, and Submarine-launched missiles

    • Air-dropped bombs

    • Artillery

    • A and b only

    • All of the above

    Correct Answer
    A. All of the above
    Explanation
    The correct answer is "all of the above". Nuclear weapons can be delivered to their target through various means, including intercontinental, medium-, and short-range ballistic missiles, submarine-launched missiles, air-dropped bombs, and artillery. This means that nuclear weapons can be transported and deployed through a combination of missile systems, aircraft, and ground-based artillery, providing multiple options for delivering them to their intended targets.

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  • 6. 

    The United States has seriously considered using nuclear weapons:11

    • Against North Vietnam during the Vietnam war and recently against Iran

    • Against North Korea and Chinese troops during the Korean War

    • Against China in 1958 during peacetime

    • Against Iraq during the Gulf War

    • All of the above

    Correct Answer
    A. All of the above
    Explanation
    11. William Burr and Jeffrey Kimball, Ed., "Nixon White House Considered Nuclear Options Against North Vietnam, Declassified Documents Reveal," from National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 195, accessed [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB195/index.htm]. The other answers are derived from “U.S. nuclear threats: Then and now,” Prepared by the Natural Resources Defense Council, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September/October 2006

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  • 7. 

    According to a study cited by Nuclear Darkness & Global Climate Change, how many Hiroshima-sized bombs does it take to induce “catastrophic climate change”? 4

    • 100

    • 1,000

    • 5,000

    • 10,000

    • 20,000

    Correct Answer
    A. 100
    Explanation
    4. “Nuclear Weapons & Global Climate Change: The Deadly Consequences of Nuclear War,” accessed: [http://www.nucleardarkness.org/nuclear/faq/]

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  • 8. 

    What is the blast yield of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima?1

    • 15 kilotons of TNT

    • 50 kilotons of TNT

    • 180 kilotons of TNT

    • 370 kilotons of TNT

    • 1 megaton of TNT

    Correct Answer
    A. 15 kilotons of TNT
    Explanation
    1. Los Alamos report: John Malik, “The Yields of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Nuclear Explosions,” 1985

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  • 9. 

    How much highly enriched uranium does it take to assemble a primitive nuclear weapon? 8

    • 45 tons

    • 20 tons

    • 1 ton

    • 500 kilograms

    • 64 kilograms

    Correct Answer
    A. 64 kilograms
    Explanation
    8. “HEU as weapons material – a technical background,” briefing prepared by the Nuclear Threat Initiative, accessed: [www.nti.org/e_research/official_docs/norway/HEU_as_Weapons_Material.pdf]

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  • 10. 

    After the US and Russia, the third largest nuclear power possesses around 300 nuclear weapons. How large is the complete United States nuclear inventory? 6

    • 13,600

    • 9,400

    • 2,500

    • 330

    • 70

    Correct Answer
    A. 9,400
    Explanation
    The correct answer is 9,400. This means that the complete United States nuclear inventory is estimated to be 9,400 nuclear weapons.

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  • 11. 

    How many nuclear weapons are in the 4 most nuclear US states, New Mexico, Georgia, Washington, and Nevada respectively? 5

    • 2450, 2000, 1685, and 1350

    • 680, 545, 385, and 320

    • 350, 220, 175, and 110

    • 130, 74, 48, and 25

    • 25, 18, 14, and 9

    Correct Answer
    A. 2450, 2000, 1685, and 1350
    Explanation
    5. The Brookings Institution—“50 Facts About U.S. Nuclear Weapons,” accessed: [http://www.brookings.edu/projects/archive/nucweapons/50.aspx]

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  • 12. 

    How many people died as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?15

    • Around 2400

    • Around 20,000

    • Around 80,000

    • Around 200,000

    • Around 1 million

    Correct Answer
    A. Around 200,000
    Explanation
    15. Estimates range from 150,000 to 246,000. Radiation Effects Research Foundation—“FAQ.” Accessed: [http://www.rerf.or.jp/general/qa_e/qa1.html]

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  • 13. 

    What is the annual cost of nuclear weapons for the United States (2008)?12

    • $52.4 billion

    • $34.2 billion

    • $17 billion

    • $300.8 million

    • $126.9 million

    Correct Answer
    A. $52.4 billion
    Explanation
    12. Stephen I. Schwartz and Deepti Choubey, Nuclear Security Spending: Assessing Costs, Examining Priorities (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2008), 6

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  • 14. 

    Which of the following is larger:7

    • Total land area of the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey

    • Total fallout area of a 1 megaton hydrogen bomb

    • The Netherlands

    • Total land area of the largest National Park in the Lower 48 states (Death Valley National Park in CA)

    • Total known land area occupied by U.S. nuclear weapons bases and facilities

    Correct Answer
    A. Total known land area occupied by U.S. nuclear weapons bases and facilities
    Explanation
    7. Nuclear information from The Brookings Institution—“50 Facts About U.S. Nuclear Weapons,” accessed: [http://www.brookings.edu/projects/archive/nucweapons/50.aspx], National Park information found at the National Park Service Website [http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/quickfacts.htm]

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  • 15. 

    How many times did United States receive false alarms of impending nuclear attack?17

    • None

    • 1

    • 4

    • 6

    • 9

    Correct Answer
    A. 4
    Explanation
    The date and location of the incidents are: October, 5, 1960, Thule; October 25, 1962, Volk Field Base; June 3 and 6, 1980, NORAD; January 10, 1984, Warren AFB. Jaya Tiwari and Cleve J. Gray, "US Nuclear Weapons Accidents," Center For Defense Information website, accessed: [http://www.cdi.org/Issues/NukeAccidents/Accidents.htm]

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  • 16. 

    What is the blast yield of a warhead on the LGM-30 Minuteman, the current land-based ICBM used by the United States? 2

    • 340 kilotons of TNT

    • 250 kilotons of TNT

    • 130 kilotons of TNT

    • 65 kilotons of TNT

    • 20 kilotons of TNT

    Correct Answer
    A. 340 kilotons of TNT
    Explanation
    2. "Complete List of All U.S. Nuclear Weapons," globalsecurity.org, accessed: [http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/systems/nuke-list.htm]

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  • 17. 

    All but the following countries are members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty:10

    • Pakistan, India, Israel, North Korea

    • North Korea, Iran, Pakistan

    • United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, France

    • United States, Pakistan, India

    • Israel, North Korea, Egypt

    Correct Answer
    A. Pakistan, India, Israel, North Korea
    Explanation
    10. Federation of American Scientists—“Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons [NPT]” accessed: [http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/npt/]

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  • 18. 

    "Saving American lives" is the most common justification for using the atomic bombs at the end of World War II. In US military documents, the maximum American casualty estimate for an invasion of Japan was:14

    • 46,000

    • 220,000

    • 500,000

    • 1.7 million

    • 2 million

    Correct Answer
    A. 46,000
    Explanation
    14. Gar Alperovitz, “Historians Reassess: Did We Need To Drop The Bomb?” Hiroshima’s Shadow (Connecticut: Pamphleteer’s Press, 1998), 12

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  • 19. 

    How many US nuclear weapons were lost in accidents and never recovered?16

    • 16

    • 11

    • 8

    • 5

    • 3

    Correct Answer
    A. 11
    Explanation
    16. The Brookings Institution—“50 Facts About U.S. Nuclear Weapons,” accessed: [http://www.brookings.edu/projects/archive/nucweapons/50.aspx]

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  • 20. 

    Most historians agree that the following was the most significant factor in Japan’s decision to surrender during World War II:13

    • The destruction of Japan’s merchant marine

    • The dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

    • The firebombing of Japanese cities

    • Entry of the Soviet Union into the war

    • The US invasion in preparation

    Correct Answer
    A. Entry of the Soviet Union into the war
    Explanation
    13. Gar Alperovitz, “Historians Reassess: Did We Need To Drop The Bomb?” Hiroshima’s Shadow (Connecticut: Pamphleteer’s Press, 1998), 8

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Our quizzes are rigorously reviewed, monitored and continuously updated by our expert board to maintain accuracy, relevance, and timeliness.

  • Current Version
  • Mar 21, 2023
    Quiz Edited by
    ProProfs Editorial Team
  • Jan 12, 2010
    Quiz Created by
    Moskatoe

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