Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 150 · 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 of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using flexible joints
2. 2.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
3. 3.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a light roof (d) making brittle joints
4. 4.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) hanging outside (c) on the very top (d) low down
5. 5.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is taller
6. 6.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding cross bracing
8. 8.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
9. 9.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
10. 10.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they are cheap (c) they stop shaking (d) they bend, not break
11. 11.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a shake table (c) a telescope (d) a microscope
12. 12.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
13. 13.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) keeping a simple shape (c) having a wide base (d) building tall and narrow
14. 14.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
15. 15.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
16. 16.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 20 cm tall on a 10 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
17. 17.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
18. 18.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
19. 19.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
20. 20.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
21. 21.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
22. 22.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
23. 23.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
24. 24.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) keeping a simple shape (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
25. 25.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
26. 26.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding cross bracing (c) leaving out steel bars (d) having a wide base
27. 27.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
28. 28.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
29. 29.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
30. 30.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
31. 31.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
32. 32.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
34. 34.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
35. 35.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
36. 36.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
37. 37.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a heavy roof (d) using a light roof
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a heavy roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) adding steel to concrete
39. 39.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 30 cm tall on a 30 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
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) making brittle joints

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