← Earthquake-safe buildings lesson New set →

Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 229 · 40 questions
TalentJR

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.

NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 40
  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.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a light roof (c) adding cross bracing (d) raising heavy tanks high
  3. 3.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a light roof (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
  4. 4.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  5. 5.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  6. 6.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  7. 7.🏚️ 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
  8. 8.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) stacking loose bricks (c) having a wide base (d) using a light roof
  9. 9.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a shake table (c) a microscope (d) a fridge
  10. 10.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  11. 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a light roof (c) having a wide base (d) fitting rubber base pads
  12. 12.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  13. 13.🏚️ 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 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  14. 14.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a light roof (d) having a wide base
  15. 15.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) adding cross bracing
  17. 17.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  18. 18.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
  19. 19.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice
  20. 20.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 210 cm tall on a 30 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 C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  21. 21.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  22. 22.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  23. 23.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  24. 24.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding steel to concrete (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a heavy roof
  26. 26.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
  27. 27.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  28. 28.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  29. 29.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) on a thin pole (c) hanging outside (d) low down
  30. 30.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a light roof (d) leaving out steel bars
  31. 31.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  32. 32.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  33. 33.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  34. 34.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) using flexible joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
  35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
  36. 36.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  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 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  38. 38.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) stacking loose bricks
  39. 39.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) fitting rubber base pads

Answer key

  1. less safe
  2. raising heavy tanks high
  3. using a heavy roof
  4. True
  5. tower A
  6. True
  7. it is harder to tip over
  8. stacking loose bricks
  9. a shake table
  10. True
  11. making brittle joints
  12. False
  13. tower C
  14. building tall and narrow
  15. tower C
  16. adding cross bracing
  17. less safe
  18. having a wide base
  19. they bend, not break
  20. tower B
  21. tower A
  22. safer in earthquakes
  23. tower C
  24. True
  25. adding steel to concrete
  26. tower B
  27. True
  28. tower A
  29. low down
  30. using a light roof
  31. False
  32. safer in earthquakes
  33. True
  34. using flexible joints
  35. having a wide base
  36. safer in earthquakes
  37. tower A
  38. fitting rubber base pads
  39. True
  40. fitting rubber base pads

Free engineering lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/engineering-for-kids