Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 253 · 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.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
2. 2.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a light roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
4. 4.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on the very top (c) on a thin pole (d) low down
5. 5.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
6. 6.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
8. 8.🏚️ 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 60 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
9. 9.🏚️ 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
10. 10.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
11. 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using a light roof (c) having a wide base (d) making brittle joints
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
13. 13.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using flexible joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
15. 15.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
16. 16.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
17. 17.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 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
18. 18.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a light roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a heavy roof
19. 19.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
20. 20.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
21. 21.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
22. 22.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
23. 23.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
25. 25.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
26. 26.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
27. 27.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
28. 28.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is lighter (c) it is colourful (d) it is harder to tip over
29. 29.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
30. 30.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using flexible joints
32. 32.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a fridge (c) a telescope (d) a shake table
33. 33.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
34. 34.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
35. 35.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
36. 36.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
37. 37.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a light roof (d) adding cross bracing
38. 38.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) having a wide base
40. 40.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes

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