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.
NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 40
- 1.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) making brittle joints
- 2.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 3.🏚️ 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 60 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
- 4.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 5.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) building tall and narrow (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) keeping a simple shape
- 6.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
- 8.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 9.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 10.🏚️ 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 20 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
- 11.🏚️ 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 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
- 12.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is lighter (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is colourful
- 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) having a wide base (c) using flexible joints (d) adding steel to concrete
- 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) building tall and narrow (c) making brittle joints (d) adding steel to concrete
- 15.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
- 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) adding cross bracing (d) making brittle joints
- 17.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they look nice (d) they bend, not break
- 18.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
- 19.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 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 C (c) tower B
- 20.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 21.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
- 22.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 23.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 24.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 25.🏚️ 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 40 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 26.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
- 27.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 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
- 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) adding steel to concrete (d) making brittle joints
- 29.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding steel to concrete (d) having a wide base
- 30.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
- 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
- 32.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 33.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) leaving out steel bars (d) making brittle joints
- 35.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding steel to concrete (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using flexible joints
- 36.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
- 37.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
- 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) making brittle joints
- 39.🏚️ 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 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 40.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) low down (c) hanging outside (d) on a thin pole
Answer key
- using a light roof
- less safe
- tower C
- True
- building tall and narrow
- safer in earthquakes
- having a wide base
- less safe
- less safe
- tower B
- tower C
- it is harder to tip over
- stacking loose bricks
- adding steel to concrete
- tower C
- making brittle joints
- they bend, not break
- False
- tower A
- safer in earthquakes
- tower B
- False
- False
- tower A
- tower A
- False
- tower B
- making brittle joints
- raising heavy tanks high
- tower B
- using a heavy roof
- safer in earthquakes
- less safe
- using flexible joints
- raising heavy tanks high
- tower A
- True
- using a light roof
- tower C
- low down
Free engineering lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/engineering-for-kids