Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 674 · 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.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is lighter (d) it is harder to tip over
2. 2.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
3. 3.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a shake table (d) a fridge
4. 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a light roof (d) building tall and narrow
5. 5.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) leaving out steel bars (d) having a wide base
6. 6.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
7. 7.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
8. 8.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
9. 9.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
10. 10.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
11. 11.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) low down (c) on the very top (d) hanging outside
12. 12.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
13. 13.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) making brittle joints
14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using flexible joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) making brittle joints
15. 15.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
16. 16.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
17. 17.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
18. 18.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
19. 19.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using flexible joints (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a light roof
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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
23. 23.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a light roof (d) having a wide base
24. 24.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) adding cross bracing (c) using flexible joints (d) building tall and narrow
25. 25.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
26. 26.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) making brittle joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) stacking loose bricks
27. 27.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) using flexible joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high
28. 28.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
29. 29.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a heavy roof
30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
31. 31.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding cross bracing
32. 32.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
34. 34.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice
35. 35.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high
37. 37.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
38. 38.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using a heavy roof
39. 39.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
40. 40.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe

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