Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 4 · 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) building tall and narrow (b) adding steel to concrete (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
2. 2.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 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 C (c) tower A
3. 3.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
4. 4.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
5. 5.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) building tall and narrow
6. 6.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is harder to tip over (b) it is taller (c) it is colourful (d) it is lighter
7. 7.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a shake table (c) a microscope (d) a telescope
8. 8.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) on a thin pole (d) low down
9. 9.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
10. 10.True or false: raising heavy tanks high 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 150 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 easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
12. 12.🏚️ 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
13. 13.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
14. 14.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
15. 15.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 40 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 A (b) tower C (c) tower B
16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) making brittle joints (d) leaving out steel bars
17. 17.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) adding cross bracing
18. 18.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
19. 19.🏚️ Does making brittle joints 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) fitting rubber base pads (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) stacking loose bricks (d) leaving out steel bars
21. 21.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
22. 22.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
23. 23.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
24. 24.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
26. 26.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) adding steel to concrete (d) leaving out steel bars
27. 27.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) building tall and narrow (d) having a wide base
29. 29.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
30. 30.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
31. 31.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
32. 32.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
33. 33.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) making brittle joints (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a light roof
34. 34.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
35. 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) having a wide base (d) building tall and narrow
36. 36.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 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 hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
37. 37.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) fitting rubber base pads
38. 38.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
39. 39.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
40. 40.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B

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