Lesson 3.8.1.8

3.8.1.8 Safety aspects Quiz: AQA Physics, Unit 8

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.8.1.8, Safety aspects: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Physics (7408), Unit 8: Nuclear physics (A-level only), written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Why are radioactive nuclear fuel rods moved using remote handling equipment?

    • Reduce radiation dose
    • Speed up refuelling
    • Prevent chemical contamination
    • Maintain core temperature

  2. Which material is used around a nuclear reactor core to shield against gamma radiation?

    • Sheet plastic
    • Thin aluminium
    • Graphite blocks
    • Thick concrete

  3. What action occurs immediately during an emergency shut-down of a nuclear reactor?

    • Moderator is removed
    • Coolant is drained
    • Control rods drop
    • Fuel rods retract

  4. Which material removed from a nuclear reactor is classified as high-level radioactive waste?

    • Lab equipment wipes
    • Worker protective clothing
    • Used coolant water
    • Spent fuel rods

  5. Why does high-level nuclear waste require thousands of years of safe storage?

    • Long half-lives
    • Low heat capacity
    • Large physical volume
    • High chemical reactivity

  6. Which practice minimises a worker's exposure to radiation from a radioactive source?

    • Using mirror reflectors
    • Increasing exposure time
    • Maximising distance
    • Cooling the source

  7. A worker at 2 m from a gamma source receives a dose rate of 40 microsieverts per hour. What dose rate does the worker receive at 4 m?

    • 5 microsieverts per hour
    • 10 microsieverts per hour
    • 80 microsieverts per hour
    • 20 microsieverts per hour

  8. A source is moved from 1 m to 3 m away from a worker. By what factor does the dose rate change?

    • a factor of 6
    • a factor of 9
    • a factor of 3
    • a factor of 27

  9. What key benefit balances the environmental and safety risks of nuclear power stations?

    • Zero waste production
    • Low construction cost
    • Infinite fuel supply
    • Zero carbon emissions

  10. Which natural source contributes most to the average background radiation dose in the UK?

    • Cosmic microwaves
    • Nuclear fallout
    • Medical X-rays
    • Radon gas

  11. A radiation worker receives 4 mSv in a year, where the annual limit is 20 mSv. What fraction of the limit has been used?

    • 4%
    • 2%
    • 80%
    • 20%

  12. Why is a gamma source used rather than an alpha source to monitor steel sheet thickness?

    • Higher ionising power
    • Lower speed
    • Higher penetrating power
    • Shorter half-life

  13. Which radiations are absorbed by the thick concrete shielding surrounding a nuclear reactor core?

    • Alpha and beta
    • Neutrons and alpha
    • Beta and gamma
    • Neutrons and gamma

  14. Why must cooling fluid continue to circulate after a nuclear reactor is shut down?

    • Control rod absorption
    • Coolant expansion
    • Decay heat production
    • Friction heat generation

  15. Which safety measure relies on the inverse-square law to reduce radiation risk from a source?

    • Increasing time
    • Decreasing shielding
    • Reducing decay constant
    • Increasing distance

  16. A radiation worker receives 2.0 mSv over 30 days. What is the average daily dose?

    • 60 mSv
    • 15 mSv
    • 0.067 mSv
    • 0.67 mSv

  17. How is high-level radioactive nuclear waste initially stored immediately after removal from a reactor?

    • Metal drums surface
    • In cooling ponds
    • Sealed in glass
    • Deep underground burial

  18. Which isotopes are responsible for the long-term hazard of spent nuclear fuel rods?

    • Fission neutrons
    • Stable isotopes
    • Short-lived isotopes
    • Long-lived isotopes

  19. What is the main purpose of a radiation worker wearing a personal film badge or dosimeter?

    • Measure source activity
    • Neutralise radioactive particles
    • Track exposure dose
    • Block incoming radiation

  20. Which mechanism drops control rods into a reactor core during an emergency power failure?

    • Compressed gas
    • Hydraulic pumps
    • Electric motors
    • Gravity

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