Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings
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.
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- 1.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) building tall and narrow
- 2.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) hanging outside (c) on a thin pole (d) on the very top
- 3.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 4.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is taller (c) it is colourful (d) it is harder to tip over
- 5.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
- 6.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
- 7.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) using flexible joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high
- 8.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) leaving out steel bars (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) fitting rubber base pads
- 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
- 10.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
- 12.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
- 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) adding steel to concrete
- 14.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 15.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
- 16.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 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
- 17.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
- 19.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 20.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) keeping a simple shape (c) building tall and narrow (d) stacking loose bricks
- 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) having a wide base (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a light roof
- 22.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
- 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
- 24.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
- 25.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 26.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 27.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
- 28.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 29.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 30.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 31.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
- 32.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 33.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 34.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
- 35.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 36.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 37.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they stop shaking (b) they look nice (c) they are cheap (d) they bend, not break
- 38.🏚️ 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 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 39.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) making brittle joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) fitting rubber base pads
- 40.🏚️ 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 140 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
Answer key
- having a wide base
- low down
- tower A
- it is harder to tip over
- tower C
- using a heavy roof
- raising heavy tanks high
- fitting rubber base pads
- raising heavy tanks high
- safer in earthquakes
- building tall and narrow
- tower B
- building tall and narrow
- less safe
- True
- tower B
- tower B
- using a light roof
- tower A
- keeping a simple shape
- leaving out steel bars
- tower C
- adding steel to concrete
- tower C
- False
- safer in earthquakes
- True
- True
- less safe
- False
- True
- safer in earthquakes
- False
- tower C
- True
- False
- they bend, not break
- tower C
- fitting rubber base pads
- tower B
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