Fossil Fuels Quiz - ANSWERS
1. What are fossil fuels?
The remains of plants and animals
The remains of old clothes
The remains of old rubbish
* Fossil fuels are exactly what their name says they are: fossils are the remains of
ancient plants and animals found in rock, these can then be used as fuel (something
we burn to get energy).
2. Which one is not a fossil fuel?
Oil
Wood
Coal
* Coal, oil and natural gas are all fossil fuels. Wood is also a fuel but it is not a fossil
fuel.
3. How much Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is put into the air for every litre of petrol an
average car uses?
None. Using gas does not put CO2 into the air.
2.4kg
24kg
* For every litre of petrol burned by an average car, about 2.4kg of CO2 is put back
into the atmosphere. Around the world more than 900 million tonnes of CO2 are
released by cars, trucks, and other motor vehicles per year.
4. What does the word ‘petroleum’ mean?
Rock oil
Ancient sea creature
Swamp gas
* In greek ‘petra’ means rock, and ‘oleum’ means oil.
5. Which of these human activities contributes the most to global warming?
Riding scooters
Cutting down trees
Using fossil fuels for energy
* About 90% of the energy used around the world comes from coal, oil and natural
gas. Carbon Dioxide released from getting and then using these fossil fuels is the
largest source of greenhouse gases from human activities.
6. What is coal made from?
Dead plants
Dinosaur fossils
A whole bunch of chemicals mixed together by scientists
* Coal is a non-renewable energy source because it takes millions of years to create.
The energy in coal comes from the energy stored by plants that lived hundreds of
millions of years ago, when the Earth was partly covered with swampy forests.
7. How many years does it take coal to be made?
440 million years
7 days
100 years
* Coal is made from plants that grew in swamp type areas millions of years ago.
When the plants died they were buried under layers of mud. Over times the plants
were squashed together and heated up and finally became coal.
8. What percent of energy used around the world comes from fossil fuels?
None
90%
40%
* About 90% of the energy that is used around the world to make things, heat homes
and other buildings, drive cars, etc comes from coal, oil and natural gas.
9. Which fossil fuel creates the lowest amount of carbon dioxide (CO2)
Natural gas
Coal
Oil
* Natural gas creates less CO2 than oil or coal when it is burned.
10. So which fossil fuel creates the most carbon dioxide (CO2) when it is burned?
Natural gas
Coal
Oil
* Coal creates the most CO2 when it is burned.