Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 235 · 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 are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they are cheap (c) they bend, not break (d) they stop shaking
2. 2.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) leaving out steel bars
3. 3.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
4. 4.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a fridge (c) a shake table (d) a telescope
5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using a heavy roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) making brittle joints
6. 6.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
7. 7.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
8. 8.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) hanging outside (c) low down (d) on the very top
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding cross bracing (d) adding steel to concrete
10. 10.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
11. 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a light roof (d) having a wide base
12. 12.🏚️ 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 40 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 A (c) tower B
13. 13.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) leaving out steel bars
15. 15.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) having a wide base (d) stacking loose bricks
17. 17.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
18. 18.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using flexible joints (c) having a wide base (d) fitting rubber base pads
20. 20.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is taller (d) it is colourful
21. 21.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
22. 22.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
23. 23.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a heavy roof (c) using flexible joints (d) adding cross bracing
24. 24.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
25. 25.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
26. 26.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding cross bracing (d) raising heavy tanks high
27. 27.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) having a wide base (c) using a light roof (d) adding cross bracing
28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using flexible joints
29. 29.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
30. 30.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
32. 32.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
33. 33.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) leaving out steel bars (d) keeping a simple shape
34. 34.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
35. 35.🏚️ 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 240 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
36. 36.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
37. 37.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing 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) fitting rubber base pads (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) stacking loose bricks (d) building tall and narrow
39. 39.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
40. 40.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) raising heavy tanks high

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