Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 207 · 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.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a shake table (c) a microscope (d) a fridge
2. 2.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
3. 3.🏚️ 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 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
4. 4.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
5. 5.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
6. 6.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) on a thin pole (d) low down
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 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
8. 8.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) raising heavy tanks high
9. 9.🏚️ 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
10. 10.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
11. 11.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) adding cross bracing
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) making brittle joints
14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a heavy roof
15. 15.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
16. 16.🏚️ 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 280 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 B (c) tower C
17. 17.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
18. 18.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) making brittle joints (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) raising heavy tanks high
20. 20.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
21. 21.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is taller (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is colourful
22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
23. 23.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 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 A (c) tower B
25. 25.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
26. 26.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
27. 27.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) making brittle joints (d) using a light roof
29. 29.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a light roof (d) using flexible joints
31. 31.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
32. 32.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding steel to concrete (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) making brittle joints
33. 33.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using flexible joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) making brittle joints
35. 35.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 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
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) keeping a simple shape (c) adding cross bracing (d) using flexible joints
37. 37.🏚️ 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 40 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
38. 38.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
39. 39.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a light roof (d) using flexible joints
40. 40.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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