Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 74 · 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.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
2. 2.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they bend, not break (c) they look nice (d) they stop shaking
3. 3.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
4. 4.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
5. 5.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 40 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
6. 6.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a fridge (c) a telescope (d) a shake table
7. 7.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) on a thin pole (c) hanging outside (d) low down
8. 8.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
10. 10.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
11. 11.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
12. 12.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is lighter (b) it is colourful (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
13. 13.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
14. 14.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) stacking loose bricks
16. 16.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a light roof (d) stacking loose bricks
17. 17.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
18. 18.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
19. 19.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a light roof (d) using flexible joints
21. 21.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
22. 22.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
23. 23.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
24. 24.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) making brittle joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding steel to concrete
26. 26.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
27. 27.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) making brittle joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using flexible joints
28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) making brittle joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a heavy roof
29. 29.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
30. 30.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B
32. 32.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) making brittle joints (d) keeping a simple shape
33. 33.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 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
34. 34.True or false: using a light roof 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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
37. 37.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
38. 38.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
39. 39.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) fitting rubber base pads

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