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Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 662 · 40 questions
TalentJR

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.

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  1. 1.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  2. 2.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a fridge (c) a telescope (d) a microscope
  3. 3.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) adding cross bracing
  4. 4.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  5. 5.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
  6. 6.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  7. 7.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 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 easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  8. 8.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they stop shaking (b) they look nice (c) they are cheap (d) they bend, not break
  9. 9.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  10. 10.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) hanging outside (c) low down (d) on the very top
  11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) keeping a simple shape
  12. 12.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  13. 13.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is taller (c) it is lighter (d) it is harder to tip over
  14. 14.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  15. 15.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  17. 17.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) leaving out steel bars (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a heavy roof
  18. 18.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) making brittle joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a light roof
  19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) making brittle joints (d) building tall and narrow
  20. 20.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 20 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 B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  21. 21.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) stacking loose bricks (d) keeping a simple shape
  22. 22.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  23. 23.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  24. 24.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  25. 25.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) stacking loose bricks (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a heavy roof
  26. 26.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  27. 27.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
  28. 28.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  29. 29.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 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 B (c) tower A
  30. 30.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
  31. 31.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  32. 32.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) adding steel to concrete (c) making brittle joints (d) using a heavy roof
  33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) making brittle joints (d) using flexible joints
  34. 34.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a light roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) leaving out steel bars
  35. 35.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 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
  36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a light roof
  37. 37.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding cross bracing
  40. 40.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) keeping a simple shape (d) leaving out steel bars

Answer key

  1. safer in earthquakes
  2. a shake table
  3. using a heavy roof
  4. True
  5. raising heavy tanks high
  6. safer in earthquakes
  7. tower A
  8. they bend, not break
  9. True
  10. low down
  11. keeping a simple shape
  12. safer in earthquakes
  13. it is harder to tip over
  14. less safe
  15. False
  16. True
  17. having a wide base
  18. making brittle joints
  19. using a light roof
  20. tower A
  21. stacking loose bricks
  22. less safe
  23. less safe
  24. True
  25. fitting rubber base pads
  26. less safe
  27. tower A
  28. safer in earthquakes
  29. tower A
  30. using flexible joints
  31. safer in earthquakes
  32. adding steel to concrete
  33. using flexible joints
  34. leaving out steel bars
  35. tower C
  36. stacking loose bricks
  37. False
  38. False
  39. adding cross bracing
  40. keeping a simple shape

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