Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 578 · 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) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) raising heavy tanks high
2. 2.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) leaving out steel bars (c) adding cross bracing (d) having a wide base
4. 4.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is lighter
5. 5.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) low down (d) on a thin pole
6. 6.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using flexible joints
7. 7.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they are cheap (c) they look nice (d) they stop shaking
8. 8.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
9. 9.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 320 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
10. 10.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 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 A (c) tower B
11. 11.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a microscope (c) a telescope (d) a shake table
12. 12.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
13. 13.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) building tall and narrow (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) making brittle joints
15. 15.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
16. 16.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
18. 18.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a light roof (d) making brittle joints
19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) fitting rubber base pads
20. 20.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
21. 21.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
22. 22.🏚️ 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 10 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
23. 23.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) stacking loose bricks (d) making brittle joints
24. 24.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
25. 25.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a light roof
27. 27.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
28. 28.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) having a wide base (d) raising heavy tanks high
29. 29.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
30. 30.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
31. 31.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
32. 32.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) keeping a simple shape (c) making brittle joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
33. 33.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
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.🔍 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
36. 36.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
37. 37.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
38. 38.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
39. 39.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
40. 40.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes

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