Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 428 · 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.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
2. 2.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
3. 3.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 20 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
4. 4.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
5. 5.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
6. 6.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
7. 7.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
8. 8.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
10. 10.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
11. 11.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 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
12. 12.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
13. 13.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
14. 14.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) making brittle joints (d) using a light roof
15. 15.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) fitting rubber base pads
16. 16.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they stop shaking (c) they bend, not break (d) they are cheap
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) using a light roof
18. 18.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 20 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 A (c) tower C
19. 19.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) having a wide base
20. 20.🏚️ 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 240 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 C (b) tower B (c) tower A
21. 21.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
23. 23.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) low down (c) hanging outside (d) on the very top
24. 24.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
25. 25.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding steel to concrete (d) leaving out steel bars
26. 26.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
27. 27.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
28. 28.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
29. 29.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high
31. 31.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
32. 32.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
33. 33.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a microscope (c) a shake table (d) a telescope
34. 34.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
35. 35.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) making brittle joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
36. 36.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
37. 37.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
38. 38.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
39. 39.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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