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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 112 · 40 questions
TalentJR

Engineer's tip (Low, wide, flexible): Safer: wide base, flexible joints, bracing, steel in concrete, light roof, rubber pads, simple shape. Less safe: heavy tops, narrow bases, loose bricks, no steel, brittle joints. Tipping: compare height ÷ base width — the smaller it is, the steadier the block.

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  1. 1.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  2. 2.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
  3. 3.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  4. 4.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a microscope (c) a telescope (d) a shake table
  5. 5.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding steel to concrete
  7. 7.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they look nice (c) they bend, not break (d) they stop shaking
  8. 8.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a light roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) adding cross bracing
  9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using flexible joints
  10. 10.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) on the very top (c) hanging outside (d) low down
  11. 11.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding cross bracing (d) using flexible joints
  13. 13.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  14. 14.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  15. 15.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is lighter (c) it is colourful (d) it is harder to tip over
  16. 16.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a light roof (d) using a heavy roof
  18. 18.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) making brittle joints
  19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
  20. 20.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  21. 21.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  22. 22.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  23. 23.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  24. 24.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  25. 25.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  26. 26.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using flexible joints
  27. 27.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  28. 28.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  29. 29.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding cross bracing
  30. 30.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  31. 31.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a light roof (d) making brittle joints
  32. 32.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding steel to concrete (d) making brittle joints
  33. 33.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  34. 34.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  35. 35.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  36. 36.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
  38. 38.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) making brittle joints (d) adding steel to concrete
  39. 39.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

Answer key

  1. True
  2. building tall and narrow
  3. tower B
  4. a shake table
  5. less safe
  6. adding steel to concrete
  7. they bend, not break
  8. stacking loose bricks
  9. stacking loose bricks
  10. low down
  11. tower A
  12. building tall and narrow
  13. safer in earthquakes
  14. True
  15. it is harder to tip over
  16. less safe
  17. using a light roof
  18. adding cross bracing
  19. fitting rubber base pads
  20. less safe
  21. tower C
  22. safer in earthquakes
  23. False
  24. True
  25. False
  26. raising heavy tanks high
  27. tower A
  28. tower C
  29. using a heavy roof
  30. tower A
  31. using a light roof
  32. adding steel to concrete
  33. less safe
  34. False
  35. safer in earthquakes
  36. tower B
  37. using flexible joints
  38. making brittle joints
  39. True
  40. True

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