Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 535 · 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.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
2. 2.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding steel to concrete
4. 4.🏚️ 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 30 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 A (c) tower C
5. 5.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
6. 6.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is colourful (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
7. 7.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
8. 8.🏚️ 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 160 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 C (b) tower B (c) tower A
9. 9.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
10. 10.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
11. 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) keeping a simple shape (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using flexible joints
12. 12.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
13. 13.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a heavy roof (d) making brittle joints
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) making brittle joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) raising heavy tanks high
16. 16.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using flexible joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) keeping a simple shape
18. 18.🏚️ 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 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
19. 19.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
20. 20.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
21. 21.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) on a thin pole (c) hanging outside (d) low down
22. 22.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) making brittle joints
24. 24.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
25. 25.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
26. 26.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
27. 27.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 10 cm tall on a 10 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 hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) building tall and narrow
29. 29.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
30. 30.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a fridge (c) a telescope (d) a microscope
31. 31.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
32. 32.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) leaving out steel bars
35. 35.🏚️ 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 60 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
36. 36.🏚️ 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 90 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) stacking loose bricks (d) making brittle joints
38. 38.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
39. 39.🏚️ 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 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
40. 40.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they stop shaking (b) they are cheap (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice

Free engineering lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/engineering-for-kids