Verbal reasoning test example questions
Utopia guides to greener living
Losing my emissions - the future of green motoring
Do Catalytic converters prevent pollution?
Whilst Catalytic converters don't actually prevent pollution, they do help to cut it down. Their purpose is to convert the poisonous carbon monoxide gas, and other pollutants produced by cars into carbon dioxide. They don't, however, work to full effect on short car journeys since they only work once they have been warmed up.
Are electric cars greener?
This is entirely dependent on how the electricity is generated. The electricity generated from the burning of coal, for example, is likely to have high emissions of pollution. On the other hand, electricity generated by nuclear power will have less emissions of harmful gases than an ordinary petrol or diesel car. Electric cars are also problematical because they need heavy and expensive batteries which need to be frequently recharged. They are not so good for travelling long distances.
Is diesel a cleaner fuel than petrol?
This is a complicated issue because the emissions produced by a diesel car are different to those produced by a petrol car, and much depends on how well a car is maintained. Some diesel cars might actually give off more harmful gases than petrol cars.
Is it better for the environment to use biofuels?
This is not really true because they give off less energy per quantity than ordinary fuels. There is also the environmental cost of producing biofuels; intensive farming of the crops, fertilizers and pesticides used on them, and then the conversion of the crops into the fuels. Biofuels emit less sulphur than conventional fuels, but they do produce more nitrogen monoxide. Biofuels can have a negative effect on the environment.
What about future developments in fuel technology?
Hydrogen is often cited as the way forward for green motoring, with fuel-cell technology producing only water as a waste product. Although hydrogen is the most common element in the universe it requires complex processes for its production, storage and distribution. Nuclear powered cars are really only suitable for time travel (which requires 1.21 gigawatts of electricity).
