Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 560 · 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) adding cross bracing (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a heavy roof
2. 2.🏚️ 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 40 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
3. 3.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
4. 4.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
5. 5.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) keeping a simple shape (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
7. 7.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
8. 8.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a light roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) stacking loose bricks
9. 9.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
10. 10.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
11. 11.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
12. 12.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
13. 13.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
14. 14.🏚️ 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 40 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 C (c) tower B
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) making brittle joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) leaving out steel bars
16. 16.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
17. 17.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
18. 18.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
19. 19.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
20. 20.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using flexible joints
21. 21.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
22. 22.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) on a thin pole (c) on the very top (d) hanging outside
23. 23.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding cross bracing
24. 24.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
25. 25.🏚️ 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
26. 26.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
27. 27.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using flexible joints (d) keeping a simple shape
28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) building tall and narrow
29. 29.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
30. 30.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
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.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
33. 33.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
34. 34.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 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
35. 35.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) keeping a simple shape (c) adding cross bracing (d) having a wide base
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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) having a wide base
38. 38.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) having a wide base (c) making brittle joints (d) using flexible joints
40. 40.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a shake table

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