Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 37 · 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.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
2. 2.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
3. 3.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they stop shaking (c) they are cheap (d) they bend, not break
4. 4.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a microscope (c) a telescope (d) a fridge
5. 5.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding cross bracing (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
6. 6.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a heavy roof (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a light roof (d) using a heavy roof
8. 8.🏚️ 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 10 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 A (c) tower C
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) building tall and narrow (d) having a wide base
10. 10.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding cross bracing (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
11. 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a light roof (d) having a wide base
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) fitting rubber base pads
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a heavy roof (c) using flexible joints (d) stacking loose bricks
14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) keeping a simple shape (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high
15. 15.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
16. 16.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
17. 17.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) adding steel to concrete (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a heavy roof
19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a light roof
20. 20.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
21. 21.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 20 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 A (c) tower B
22. 22.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
23. 23.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
24. 24.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
25. 25.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
26. 26.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
27. 27.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
28. 28.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
29. 29.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 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
30. 30.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
32. 32.🏚️ 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
33. 33.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 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 A (c) tower C
34. 34.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
35. 35.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) making brittle joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) leaving out steel bars
37. 37.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
38. 38.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
39. 39.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding cross bracing (d) raising heavy tanks high

Free engineering lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/engineering-for-kids