Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 329 · 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: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
2. 2.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) keeping a simple shape (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using flexible joints
3. 3.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is taller
4. 4.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a fridge (c) a microscope (d) a telescope
5. 5.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
6. 6.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
7. 7.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 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
8. 8.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a heavy roof (c) having a wide base (d) adding cross bracing
9. 9.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
10. 10.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 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 C (c) tower A
11. 11.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
12. 12.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
13. 13.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) stacking loose bricks
15. 15.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
16. 16.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they look nice (c) they stop shaking (d) they are cheap
17. 17.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) making brittle joints
19. 19.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) making brittle joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
21. 21.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a light roof (c) making brittle joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
22. 22.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
23. 23.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) hanging outside (c) on the very top (d) low down
25. 25.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
26. 26.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
27. 27.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) making brittle joints
28. 28.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
29. 29.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
30. 30.🏚️ 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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a light roof
32. 32.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) adding steel to concrete (c) having a wide base (d) adding cross bracing
33. 33.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) stacking loose bricks
34. 34.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
35. 35.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding cross bracing (d) keeping a simple shape
37. 37.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
38. 38.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a light roof (d) using a heavy roof
39. 39.🏚️ 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 30 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using flexible joints (d) fitting rubber base pads

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