Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 605 · 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.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
2. 2.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they look nice (c) they are cheap (d) they stop shaking
3. 3.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
4. 4.🏚️ 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 10 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 B (c) tower C
5. 5.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
6. 6.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a shake table (c) a telescope (d) a fridge
7. 7.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
8. 8.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a heavy roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a light roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
10. 10.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
11. 11.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
12. 12.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
13. 13.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
14. 14.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
15. 15.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) making brittle joints (d) having a wide base
16. 16.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 140 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
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 240 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
18. 18.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) keeping a simple shape (c) having a wide base (d) leaving out steel bars
19. 19.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) hanging outside (c) on the very top (d) on a thin pole
20. 20.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) stacking loose bricks (c) having a wide base (d) keeping a simple shape
21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
22. 22.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
23. 23.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
24. 24.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
25. 25.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
26. 26.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is lighter (d) it is colourful
27. 27.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
28. 28.🏚️ 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 180 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 B (c) tower A
29. 29.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
30. 30.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
31. 31.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
32. 32.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
33. 33.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
34. 34.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
35. 35.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
36. 36.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 30 cm tall on a 30 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 hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
37. 37.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
38. 38.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
39. 39.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
40. 40.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 80 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B

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