← Earthquake-safe buildings lesson New set →

Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 734 · 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.

NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 40
  1. 1.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) keeping a simple shape
  2. 2.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  3. 3.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  4. 4.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  5. 5.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
  6. 6.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  7. 7.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is taller
  8. 8.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) low down (c) on a thin pole (d) on the very top
  9. 9.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table
  10. 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using flexible joints (d) adding cross bracing
  11. 11.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 30 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
  12. 12.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
  13. 13.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  14. 14.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  15. 15.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  16. 16.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) having a wide base
  17. 17.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  18. 18.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  19. 19.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
  21. 21.🏚️ 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 90 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B
  22. 22.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  23. 23.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) adding cross bracing (d) making brittle joints
  24. 24.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
  25. 25.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) leaving out steel bars
  26. 26.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) stacking loose bricks (d) keeping a simple shape
  27. 27.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
  29. 29.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  30. 30.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  31. 31.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using a light roof (c) using flexible joints (d) keeping a simple shape
  32. 32.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a light roof (c) making brittle joints (d) keeping a simple shape
  33. 33.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
  34. 34.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
  35. 35.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  36. 36.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding cross bracing (d) stacking loose bricks
  37. 37.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
  38. 38.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  39. 39.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
  40. 40.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they bend, not break (b) they are cheap (c) they stop shaking (d) they look nice

Answer key

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

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