Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 135 · 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.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) having a wide base (d) using flexible joints
2. 2.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a heavy roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) having a wide base
3. 3.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
4. 4.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
5. 5.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) having a wide base (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a heavy roof
6. 6.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a light roof (c) making brittle joints (d) keeping a simple shape
7. 7.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they are cheap (c) they stop shaking (d) they look nice
8. 8.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
9. 9.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
10. 10.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
11. 11.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
12. 12.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
13. 13.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
14. 14.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
15. 15.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) adding cross bracing (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
17. 17.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
18. 18.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
19. 19.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
20. 20.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
21. 21.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) leaving out steel bars
22. 22.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a shake table (c) a microscope (d) a fridge
23. 23.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) keeping a simple shape (c) having a wide base (d) making brittle joints
26. 26.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
27. 27.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
29. 29.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) leaving out steel bars
30. 30.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using a light roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) building tall and narrow
31. 31.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
32. 32.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
33. 33.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) low down (d) on a thin pole
34. 34.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 150 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 C (c) tower A
35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
36. 36.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
37. 37.🏚️ 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 150 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 A (b) tower C (c) tower B
38. 38.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 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 hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
39. 39.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
40. 40.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding steel to concrete (d) adding cross bracing

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