Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 200 · 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 having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
2. 2.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they stop shaking (b) they bend, not break (c) they look nice (d) they are cheap
3. 3.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
4. 4.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using flexible joints
5. 5.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a shake table
6. 6.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
7. 7.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding steel to concrete (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
8. 8.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
10. 10.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
11. 11.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
12. 12.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) adding steel to concrete (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) stacking loose bricks
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding steel to concrete (d) stacking loose bricks
15. 15.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is taller (c) it is lighter (d) it is harder to tip over
16. 16.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
17. 17.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) building tall and narrow
18. 18.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
19. 19.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
20. 20.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
21. 21.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
22. 22.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
23. 23.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
25. 25.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a light roof (d) having a wide base
26. 26.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) on a thin pole (c) low down (d) hanging outside
27. 27.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding cross bracing (c) leaving out steel bars (d) having a wide base
28. 28.🏚️ 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 120 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
29. 29.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
30. 30.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a light roof (d) adding cross bracing
31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) adding cross bracing (c) stacking loose bricks (d) fitting rubber base pads
32. 32.🏚️ 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 120 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 C (b) tower B (c) tower A
33. 33.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using flexible joints
35. 35.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
36. 36.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) leaving out steel bars
37. 37.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) keeping a simple shape (c) building tall and narrow (d) fitting rubber base pads
39. 39.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using a light roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high

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