Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 417 · 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: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
2. 2.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding cross bracing (d) stacking loose bricks
3. 3.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
4. 4.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a light roof (d) stacking loose bricks
5. 5.🏚️ 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
6. 6.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
7. 7.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
8. 8.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) leaving out steel bars
9. 9.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) making brittle joints
11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding cross bracing
12. 12.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
13. 13.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 10 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
14. 14.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a light roof
16. 16.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a fridge (c) a telescope (d) a shake table
17. 17.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) making brittle joints (c) using a light roof (d) using a heavy roof
19. 19.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) using a light roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
21. 21.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
22. 22.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
23. 23.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
24. 24.True or false: using a heavy roof 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
26. 26.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
27. 27.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) making brittle joints
28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
29. 29.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
30. 30.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) on the very top (c) hanging outside (d) low down
31. 31.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
32. 32.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
34. 34.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) making brittle joints (d) using flexible joints
35. 35.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding cross bracing
36. 36.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
37. 37.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is lighter
38. 38.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) building tall and narrow (d) raising heavy tanks high
39. 39.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
40. 40.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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