Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 180 · 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: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
2. 2.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) adding cross bracing (c) having a wide base (d) fitting rubber base pads
3. 3.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) keeping a simple shape (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using flexible joints
4. 4.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) keeping a simple shape (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
5. 5.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
6. 6.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
8. 8.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
9. 9.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
10. 10.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
11. 11.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) making brittle joints (c) using flexible joints (d) leaving out steel bars
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) building tall and narrow (c) making brittle joints (d) using a heavy roof
14. 14.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof 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 280 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
16. 16.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
17. 17.🏚️ 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
18. 18.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a fridge (c) a shake table (d) a microscope
19. 19.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) using a heavy roof
20. 20.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) building tall and narrow
21. 21.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) stacking loose bricks
22. 22.🏚️ 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 90 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 C (c) tower B
23. 23.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
24. 24.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
25. 25.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 20 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 B (c) tower A
26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) building tall and narrow (c) leaving out steel bars (d) stacking loose bricks
27. 27.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
28. 28.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they bend, not break (c) they are cheap (d) they stop shaking
29. 29.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
30. 30.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
31. 31.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
32. 32.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
33. 33.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
34. 34.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) stacking loose bricks
36. 36.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
37. 37.🏚️ 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
38. 38.🏚️ 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 120 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 A (b) tower C (c) tower B
39. 39.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
40. 40.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes

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