Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 159 · 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) making brittle joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) fitting rubber base pads
2. 2.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding cross bracing (d) keeping a simple shape
4. 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding cross bracing (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
5. 5.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is taller (d) it is colourful
6. 6.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
7. 7.🏚️ 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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
8. 8.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using flexible joints
9. 9.🏚️ 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
10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a light roof (d) keeping a simple shape
11. 11.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a shake table
12. 12.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) leaving out steel bars (c) making brittle joints (d) using a light roof
13. 13.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
14. 14.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
16. 16.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
17. 17.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
18. 18.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
19. 19.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
20. 20.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
21. 21.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
22. 22.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
23. 23.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
24. 24.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
25. 25.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
26. 26.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
27. 27.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) keeping a simple shape (c) making brittle joints (d) building tall and narrow
29. 29.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
30. 30.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) using a heavy roof
32. 32.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) on a thin pole (c) on the very top (d) hanging outside
33. 33.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
34. 34.🏚️ 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 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
35. 35.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
36. 36.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
37. 37.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
38. 38.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
39. 39.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
40. 40.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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