Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 227 · 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.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is lighter (d) it is harder to tip over
2. 2.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they are cheap (c) they look nice (d) they stop shaking
3. 3.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
4. 4.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) building tall and narrow (c) keeping a simple shape (d) having a wide base
5. 5.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) keeping a simple shape
6. 6.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
7. 7.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 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 C (c) tower A
8. 8.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
9. 9.🏚️ 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 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
10. 10.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
11. 11.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a telescope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
12. 12.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
13. 13.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
14. 14.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
15. 15.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) raising heavy tanks high
16. 16.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
17. 17.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
18. 18.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
20. 20.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
21. 21.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) leaving out steel bars (d) keeping a simple shape
22. 22.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding cross bracing (c) keeping a simple shape (d) having a wide base
24. 24.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
25. 25.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
26. 26.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) building tall and narrow
27. 27.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) making brittle joints (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
28. 28.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) having a wide base
29. 29.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
30. 30.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
32. 32.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) making brittle joints
35. 35.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
36. 36.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on a thin pole (c) on the very top (d) low down
37. 37.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 40 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
38. 38.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
39. 39.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
40. 40.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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