Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 290 · 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 is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) adding steel to concrete (c) making brittle joints (d) having a wide base
2. 2.🏚️ 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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
3. 3.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
4. 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) stacking loose bricks (d) leaving out steel bars
5. 5.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding steel to concrete (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a light roof
6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) using a light roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
7. 7.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
8. 8.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is taller (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is colourful
9. 9.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
10. 10.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
11. 11.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 180 cm tall on a 30 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 easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using flexible joints
13. 13.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they look nice (c) they are cheap (d) they stop shaking
14. 14.🏚️ 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 30 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
15. 15.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high 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 less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using a light roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) making brittle joints
17. 17.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) having a wide base
19. 19.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a heavy roof (d) using a light roof
20. 20.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 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) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) using flexible joints
22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) building tall and narrow (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a heavy roof
23. 23.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) fitting rubber base pads
24. 24.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
25. 25.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) raising heavy tanks high
26. 26.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
27. 27.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
28. 28.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 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
29. 29.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
30. 30.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a heavy roof (d) stacking loose bricks
32. 32.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
33. 33.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) on the very top (c) low down (d) hanging outside
34. 34.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
35. 35.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
36. 36.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
37. 37.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) making brittle joints (d) adding cross bracing
38. 38.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
39. 39.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
40. 40.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True

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