Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 449 · 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 of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using flexible joints
2. 2.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
3. 3.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
4. 4.🏚️ 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
5. 5.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using flexible joints
7. 7.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they stop shaking (c) they look nice (d) they are cheap
8. 8.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
9. 9.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
10. 10.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
12. 12.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
13. 13.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding cross bracing
14. 14.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
15. 15.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 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
16. 16.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding cross bracing
18. 18.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
19. 19.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
20. 20.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) stacking loose bricks
21. 21.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
22. 22.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) making brittle joints (d) having a wide base
24. 24.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
25. 25.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
26. 26.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a fridge
27. 27.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) low down (c) on a thin pole (d) on the very top
28. 28.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
29. 29.🏚️ 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 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
30. 30.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 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
31. 31.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
32. 32.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) adding cross bracing (d) leaving out steel bars
33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) leaving out steel bars (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
34. 34.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
35. 35.🏚️ 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 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
36. 36.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding cross bracing (c) leaving out steel bars (d) stacking loose bricks
37. 37.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
38. 38.🏚️ 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 90 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
39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) using flexible joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
40. 40.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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