Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 452 · 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) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) fitting rubber base pads
2. 2.🏚️ 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 20 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
3. 3.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a telescope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table
4. 4.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) low down (c) on the very top (d) on a thin pole
5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using flexible joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) leaving out steel bars
6. 6.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
7. 7.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a heavy roof
8. 8.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 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 C (c) tower A
9. 9.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
10. 10.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) adding cross bracing (d) making brittle joints
11. 11.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 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.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding steel to concrete
13. 13.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
14. 14.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
15. 15.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a heavy roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using flexible joints
17. 17.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) adding cross bracing (d) leaving out steel bars
18. 18.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
19. 19.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) building tall and narrow (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) having a wide base
20. 20.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
21. 21.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
22. 22.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
23. 23.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) using flexible joints
25. 25.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is taller (d) it is colourful
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.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
28. 28.🏚️ 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 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
29. 29.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
30. 30.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) adding steel to concrete
31. 31.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
32. 32.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using a light roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using a heavy roof
33. 33.🏚️ 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 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
34. 34.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
35. 35.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
36. 36.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) making brittle joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) using a light roof
37. 37.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they are cheap (c) they stop shaking (d) they look nice
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
39. 39.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
40. 40.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe

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