Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 192 · 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.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
2. 2.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
3. 3.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
4. 4.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
5. 5.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
6. 6.🏚️ 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 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
7. 7.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
8. 8.🏚️ 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 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
9. 9.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
10. 10.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a shake table (c) a telescope (d) a fridge
11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) stacking loose bricks (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using flexible joints
12. 12.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is taller (c) it is colourful (d) it is harder to tip over
13. 13.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding steel to concrete
14. 14.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) making brittle joints (c) using flexible joints (d) using a light roof
15. 15.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) adding cross bracing (c) making brittle joints (d) adding steel to concrete
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) keeping a simple shape (d) having a wide base
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using a light roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) leaving out steel bars
19. 19.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
20. 20.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
21. 21.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
22. 22.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
23. 23.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) hanging outside (c) low down (d) on the very top
24. 24.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
25. 25.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) making brittle joints (d) having a wide base
26. 26.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a light roof
27. 27.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
29. 29.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
30. 30.🏚️ 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
31. 31.🏚️ 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 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
32. 32.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
34. 34.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) stacking loose bricks (d) having a wide base
35. 35.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) keeping a simple shape
36. 36.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
37. 37.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a heavy roof
39. 39.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape

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