Test Your Nuclear IQ
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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!
- 1.Which countries currently have nuclear weapons?
- A.
United States, Russia, Libya, France, China, Pakistan, Israel, Iran, North Korea
- B.
United States, Germany, France, Russia, Pakistan, United Kingdom, Brazil, Japan
- C.
United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Germany, Russia, France, China, Brazil
- D.
United States, China, United Kingdom, France, Russia, India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea
- E.
United States, France, Italy, United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, China
- 2.What is the blast yield of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima?1
- A.
15 kilotons of TNT
- B.
50 kilotons of TNT
- C.
180 kilotons of TNT
- D.
370 kilotons of TNT
- E.
1 megaton of TNT
- 3.What is the blast yield of a warhead on the LGM-30 Minuteman, the current land-based ICBM used by the United States? 2
- A.
340 kilotons of TNT
- B.
250 kilotons of TNT
- C.
130 kilotons of TNT
- D.
65 kilotons of TNT
- E.
20 kilotons of TNT
- 4.Which of the following has more nuclear weapons? 3
- A.
India
- B.
Pakistan
- C.
A Russian ICBM
- D.
A US nuclear submarine
- E.
Iran
- 5.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
- A.
100
- B.
1,000
- C.
5,000
- D.
10,000
- E.
20,000
- 6.How many nuclear weapons are in the 4 most nuclear US states, New Mexico, Georgia, Washington, and Nevada respectively? 5
- A.
2450, 2000, 1685, and 1350
- B.
680, 545, 385, and 320
- C.
350, 220, 175, and 110
- D.
130, 74, 48, and 25
- E.
25, 18, 14, and 9
- 7.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
- A.
13,600
- B.
9,400
- C.
2,500
- D.
330
- E.
70
- 8.Which of the following is larger:7
- A.
Total land area of the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey
- B.
Total fallout area of a 1 megaton hydrogen bomb
- C.
The Netherlands
- D.
Total land area of the largest National Park in the Lower 48 states (Death Valley National Park in CA)
- E.
Total known land area occupied by U.S. nuclear weapons bases and facilities
- 9.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?
- A.
Around 15 minutes
- B.
Half an hour
- C.
A few hours
- 10.What are the ways nuclear weapons could be delivered to their target?
- A.
Intercontinental, Medium-, and Short-Range Ballistic Missiles, and Submarine-launched missiles
- B.
Air-dropped bombs
- C.
Artillery
- D.
A and b only
- E.
All of the above
- 11.How much highly enriched uranium does it take to assemble a primitive nuclear weapon? 8
- A.
45 tons
- B.
20 tons
- C.
1 ton
- D.
500 kilograms
- E.
64 kilograms
- 12.The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty:
- A.
Recognizes only five nuclear weapons states
- B.
Forbids non-nuclear weapons states from acquiring nuclear technology
- C.
Allows for peaceful civilian uses of nuclear energy
- D.
Calls for conventional (non-nuclear) military disarmament
- E.
All of the above
- 13.All but the following countries are members of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty:10
- A.
Pakistan, India, Israel, North Korea
- B.
North Korea, Iran, Pakistan
- C.
United States, Russia, China, United Kingdom, France
- D.
United States, Pakistan, India
- E.
Israel, North Korea, Egypt
- 14.The United States has seriously considered using nuclear weapons:11
- A.
Against North Vietnam during the Vietnam war and recently against Iran
- B.
Against North Korea and Chinese troops during the Korean War
- C.
Against China in 1958 during peacetime
- D.
Against Iraq during the Gulf War
- E.
All of the above
- 15.What is the annual cost of nuclear weapons for the United States (2008)?12
- A.
$52.4 billion
- B.
$34.2 billion
- C.
$17 billion
- D.
$300.8 million
- E.
$126.9 million
- 16.Most historians agree that the following was the most significant factor in Japan’s decision to surrender during World War II:13
- A.
The destruction of Japan’s merchant marine
- B.
The dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
- C.
The firebombing of Japanese cities
- D.
Entry of the Soviet Union into the war
- E.
The US invasion in preparation
- 17."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
- A.
46,000
- B.
220,000
- C.
500,000
- D.
1.7 million
- E.
2 million
- 18.How many people died as a result of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?15
- A.
Around 2400
- B.
Around 20,000
- C.
Around 80,000
- D.
Around 200,000
- E.
Around 1 million
- 19.How many US nuclear weapons were lost in accidents and never recovered?16
- A.
16
- B.
11
- C.
8
- D.
5
- E.
3
- 20.How many times did United States receive false alarms of impending nuclear attack?17
- A.
None
- B.
1
- C.
4
- D.
6
- E.
9
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