Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 216 · 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 of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using flexible joints
2. 2.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 160 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
3. 3.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
4. 4.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
5. 5.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
6. 6.🏚️ 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
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
8. 8.🏚️ 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
9. 9.🏚️ 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 140 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a heavy roof
11. 11.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
12. 12.🏚️ 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 100 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
13. 13.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
14. 14.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) making brittle joints
15. 15.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
16. 16.🏚️ 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
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) adding steel to concrete (d) leaving out steel bars
18. 18.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) keeping a simple shape (c) making brittle joints (d) using a heavy roof
20. 20.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
21. 21.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
22. 22.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
23. 23.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
24. 24.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
25. 25.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
26. 26.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a microscope (c) a fridge (d) a telescope
27. 27.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) using a light roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
28. 28.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 320 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
29. 29.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
30. 30.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding cross bracing
31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a light roof (d) adding cross bracing
32. 32.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
33. 33.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) making brittle joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) having a wide base
35. 35.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
37. 37.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 320 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
38. 38.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
39. 39.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
40. 40.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes

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