Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 117 · 40 questions

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.

1. 1.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
2. 2.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
3. 3.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) making brittle joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a heavy roof
4. 4.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they bend, not break (c) they stop shaking (d) they are cheap
5. 5.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
6. 6.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) low down (c) on a thin pole (d) on the very top
7. 7.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
8. 8.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is lighter (d) it is colourful
9. 9.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
10. 10.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
11. 11.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
13. 13.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) adding cross bracing
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
15. 15.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) keeping a simple shape (d) leaving out steel bars
16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
17. 17.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a fridge (c) a shake table (d) a telescope
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) using flexible joints
19. 19.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
20. 20.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
21. 21.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) keeping a simple shape (d) stacking loose bricks
23. 23.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
24. 24.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
25. 25.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
26. 26.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) using a light roof
27. 27.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) keeping a simple shape (d) stacking loose bricks
28. 28.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a light roof (d) having a wide base
29. 29.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
30. 30.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
31. 31.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
32. 32.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
33. 33.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) stacking loose bricks
35. 35.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) making brittle joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) having a wide base
37. 37.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
38. 38.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
39. 39.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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