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It's Dam Good Trivia Quiz

Dams are some of the largest structures around. They are used to prevent flooding, create electricity, or irrigate farmland. Test your knowledge about dams.

A multiple-choice quiz by catamount. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
catamount

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
184,361

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
513

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Depending on their purpose and on environmental conditions dams can be built in a number of ways. Which of the following is not a type of dam? Hint

Suspension dam

Buttress dam

Arch dam

Gravity dam

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Question 2 of 10

2. Which of these dams, known as one of the "Seven Wonders of the Modern World", generates the most electricity (as of 2005)? Hint

Hoover dam

Itaipu dam

Aswan high dam

Kainji dam

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Question 3 of 10

3. The collapse of which dam destroyed the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania? Hint

South Fork Dam

Tygart River Dam

Cougar Dam

Fullerton Dam

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Question 4 of 10

4. China built a dam which was, at the time of its completion in 2009, the biggest dam in the world. What is its name? Hint

Manwan Dam

Three Gorges Dam

Jinghong Dam

Ertan Dam

5. Sometimes dams are removed because they have become unstable or the environmental impact outweighs their usefulness. Which was the first dam in the US to be removed for environmental reasons? Hint

Donnells Dam

Edwards Dam

Albeni Falls Dam

Glen Canyon Dam

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Question 6 of 10

6. What is the name of the structure that allows fish such as salmon to bypass dams on their travel to their spawning grounds? Hint

Fish cable car

Fish climbing rope

Fish elevator

Fish ladder

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which is the oldest dam in the US national inventory? Hint

Brownville Dam

Willow Falls Dam

Grist Mill Dam

Mill Pond Dam

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Question 8 of 10

8. Which country's ancient civilization is well known for its extensive system of dams, sluices and canals? Hint: this civilization developed along the world's longest river.

Answer: (One Word, five letters)

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Question 9 of 10

9. The oldest remains of dams have been found in which modern country? Hint

Jordan

Iraq

Brazil

Holland

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Question 10 of 10

10. How many of the world's large dams were built primarily or exclusively for irrigation? Hint

50%

75%

10%

30%

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Depending on their purpose and on environmental conditions dams can be built in a number of ways. Which of the following is not a type of dam?

Answer: Suspension dam

I hope this didn't fool you. There are plenty of suspension bridges, but no suspension dams. The curved shape of an arch dam holds back the water in the reservoir. It is thinner and requires less material than other dams. Buttress dams can be flat or curved.

Their distinctive feature is a series of supports - buttresses - on the downstream side. Gravity dams use the most concrete, because they resist the forces of the water through their own massive weight. The Grand Coulee dam is a gravity dam.

2. Which of these dams, known as one of the "Seven Wonders of the Modern World", generates the most electricity (as of 2005)?

Answer: Itaipu dam

The Itaipu dam in Brazil and Paraguay is a hydroelectric dam with a capacity of 12,600 megawatts. In 1995 it supplied 25% of all power in Brazil, and 78% in Paraguay. The steel used in its construction could have built 380 Eiffel towers, and the concrete used for it represents the volume of fifteen "Chunnels".

3. The collapse of which dam destroyed the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania?

Answer: South Fork Dam

On May 31, 1889, the dam burst and a wave half a mile wide and forty feet high rushed down the valley and levelled the city within 10 minutes. 2,209 people were killed and thousands left homeless. The disaster occurred because the spillways were poorly maintained.

4. China built a dam which was, at the time of its completion in 2009, the biggest dam in the world. What is its name?

Answer: Three Gorges Dam

It created a reservoir on the Yangtze river of over 28 billion cubic yard and generates 18.2 million kilowatts of electricity, the equivalent of 18 nuclear power plants or the burning of 40 million tons of coal.

5. Sometimes dams are removed because they have become unstable or the environmental impact outweighs their usefulness. Which was the first dam in the US to be removed for environmental reasons?

Answer: Edwards Dam

The Edwards dam had been built in Maine in the mid-1800s to supply power to saw mills. Compared to modern dams it was very small, and generated only about 1/10 of one percent of Maine's power. Since its removal in 1998 many fish have returned to the Kennebec river, including Atlantic salmon.

6. What is the name of the structure that allows fish such as salmon to bypass dams on their travel to their spawning grounds?

Answer: Fish ladder

The impact of dams on fish has been recognized for a long time, especially migratory fish such as salmon or steelhead. France developed fishway laws as early as the 1660s. Those laws stated that fish passages had to be included in new dam construction.

7. Which is the oldest dam in the US national inventory?

Answer: Mill Pond Dam

This dam was built in 1677. 20 dams in the inventory were built in the 18th century!

8. Which country's ancient civilization is well known for its extensive system of dams, sluices and canals? Hint: this civilization developed along the world's longest river.

Answer: Egypt

King Menes is credited with being the first to construct a system of basins and canals to contain and divert flood waters, as well as diverting the Nile to build the town of Memphis. This took place about 2,500 BCE.

9. The oldest remains of dams have been found in which modern country?

Answer: Jordan

They were part of an elaborate water supply system for the town of Jawa, dating from about 3000 BCE.

10. How many of the world's large dams were built primarily or exclusively for irrigation?

Answer: 50%

About 30-40% of irrigated agricultural lands rely on dams, contributing between 12 and 16% of the world's food production.

Source: Author catamount

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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