Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 6 · 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.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
2. 2.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
3. 3.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
4. 4.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
5. 5.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
6. 6.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
7. 7.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) adding steel to concrete (c) having a wide base (d) making brittle joints
8. 8.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
9. 9.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) having a wide base
10. 10.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
11. 11.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
12. 12.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
13. 13.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
14. 14.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
15. 15.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding cross bracing (c) building tall and narrow (d) raising heavy tanks high
16. 16.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they look nice (d) they bend, not break
17. 17.🏚️ 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 easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
18. 18.🏚️ 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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
19. 19.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
20. 20.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is lighter (d) it is taller
21. 21.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a telescope (c) a microscope (d) a fridge
22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) leaving out steel bars (d) adding steel to concrete
23. 23.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
24. 24.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding cross bracing
26. 26.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) stacking loose bricks
27. 27.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) leaving out steel bars (d) making brittle joints
29. 29.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
30. 30.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 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
31. 31.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
32. 32.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using a light roof (c) making brittle joints (d) adding steel to concrete
34. 34.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 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 A (c) tower B
35. 35.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
36. 36.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
37. 37.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
39. 39.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
40. 40.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) low down (c) on a thin pole (d) hanging outside

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