Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 641 · 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) building tall and narrow (c) using a light roof (d) making brittle joints
2. 2.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they stop shaking (c) they bend, not break (d) they are cheap
3. 3.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
4. 4.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
5. 5.🏚️ 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
6. 6.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) making brittle joints (d) stacking loose bricks
7. 7.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
8. 8.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
9. 9.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
10. 10.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using flexible joints (d) adding cross bracing
11. 11.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
12. 12.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
13. 13.🏚️ 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 40 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
14. 14.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using flexible joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) fitting rubber base pads
16. 16.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
17. 17.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a telescope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
18. 18.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) on a thin pole (c) low down (d) hanging outside
19. 19.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
20. 20.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) making brittle joints (d) leaving out steel bars
21. 21.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
22. 22.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) adding steel to concrete
23. 23.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
24. 24.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
25. 25.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 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 B (c) tower A
26. 26.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
27. 27.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
28. 28.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
29. 29.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
30. 30.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding cross bracing (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) having a wide base
32. 32.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 30 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 easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) leaving out steel bars (d) making brittle joints
34. 34.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
35. 35.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) keeping a simple shape
36. 36.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) fitting rubber base pads
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) having a wide base (c) using a light roof (d) using flexible joints
38. 38.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) building tall and narrow (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
39. 39.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
40. 40.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe

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