Q10. ITER, the international fusion-energy project, is located in which region?
[UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination (2008)]
(A) Northern Spain
(B) Southern France
(C) Eastern Germany
(D) Southern Italy
Answer: (B) Southern France
Explanation: The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project is at Cadarache in southern France. ITER is designed to test large-scale magnetic confinement of fusion plasma, a potential route to future electricity generation if engineering challenges are solved.
Q9. Which country was first to conclude a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with India after the 2008 NSG waiver?
[MPPSC Preliminary Examination (2008)]
(A) United States
(B) Italy
(C) Russia
(D) France
Answer: (D) France
Explanation: France concluded a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with India after the Nuclear Suppliers Group granted India a waiver in 2008. The question concerns civilian nuclear trade, international safeguards and access to peaceful nuclear technology.
Q8. A radioactive substance has a half-life of ten days. How much will have decayed after twenty days?
[RAS/RTS Preliminary Examination (2007)]
(A) One-half
(B) One-quarter
(C) Three-quarters
(D) One-eighth
Answer: (C) Three-quarters
Explanation: Twenty days spans two half-lives. The remaining fraction is (1/2)² = 1/4, meaning 3/4 of the original nuclei have decayed. Half-life describes a statistical exponential process rather than an exact lifetime for each nucleus.
Q7. Which fuel type was associated with the Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalpakkam?
[Uttarakhand PCS Preliminary Examination (2006)]
(A) Enriched uranium alone
(B) Thorium alone
(C) Plutonium-bearing fuel
(D) Tungsten
Answer: (C) Plutonium-bearing fuel
Explanation: The Kalpakkam Fast Breeder Test Reactor has used mixed plutonium–uranium carbide fuel. Plutonium provides fissile material, while uranium supports breeding and the fast-neutron fuel cycle. Tungsten is not its nuclear fuel.
Q6. Which listed metal is employed as an energy source in nuclear-electricity production?
[47th BPSC Preliminary Examination (2005)]
(A) Uranium
(B) Iron
(C) Copper
(D) Aluminium
Answer: (A) Uranium
Explanation: Uranium is used as fuel for fission-based nuclear electricity generation. Its fissile uranium-235 nuclei release heat when split by neutrons. Iron, copper and aluminium are useful industrial metals but are not conventional reactor fuels.
Q5. What connects the facilities Dhruva, Purnima and CIRUS?
[UPPCS Main Examination (2004)]
(A) They are Indian research reactors
(B) They are stars
(C) They are books
(D) They are hydropower dams
Answer: (A) They are Indian research reactors
Explanation: Dhruva, Purnima and CIRUS are names associated with Indian nuclear research reactors. Research reactors provide neutron fluxes for experiments, isotope production and materials studies, rather than necessarily being used for grid-scale electricity production.
Q4. In which state is the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research located?
[UPPCS Main Examination (2004)]
(A) Maharashtra
(B) Tamil Nadu
(C) Uttar Pradesh
(D) Karnataka
Answer: (B) Tamil Nadu
Explanation: The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research is situated at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. It is associated with fast-reactor technology and advanced nuclear-fuel-cycle studies, playing a distinct research role alongside India’s commercial power plants.
Q3. Which pair names sites that both house nuclear generating stations?
[UPPCS Main Examination (2004)]
(A) Ghatshila and Nangal
(B) Narora and Kalpakkam
(C) Nangal and Ghatshila only
(D) Ghatshila and Kalpakkam only
Answer: (B) Narora and Kalpakkam
Explanation: Narora in Uttar Pradesh and Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu have nuclear generating facilities. Nangal is principally associated with hydropower infrastructure. Identifying these sites helps distinguish nuclear electricity from other forms of generation.
Q2. Which mineral or element listed is NOT characteristically associated with nuclear-power raw materials?
[Chhattisgarh PCS Preliminary Examination (2003)]
(A) Monazite
(B) Thorium
(C) Beryllium
(D) Chromium
Answer: (D) Chromium
Explanation: Monazite is a source of thorium; thorium has a role in advanced nuclear fuel cycles. Beryllium compounds can be relevant in reactor technology. Chromium is not normally singled out as a nuclear-power fuel resource.
Q1. For which facility is Kalpakkam particularly famous?
[UP Lower Subordinate Preliminary Examination (2002)]
(A) A nuclear power plant
(B) A missile-test range
(C) A rocket-launch pad
(D) A satellite tracking site
Answer: (A) A nuclear power plant
Explanation: Kalpakkam on the Tamil Nadu coast hosts the Madras Atomic Power Station and important nuclear research infrastructure. It is a major centre for India’s nuclear energy programme rather than a missile or satellite launch complex.
