Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 75 · 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) using flexible joints (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding steel to concrete
2. 2.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
3. 3.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 40 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 A (c) tower B
4. 4.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
5. 5.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is harder to tip over (b) it is colourful (c) it is taller (d) it is lighter
6. 6.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 90 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 30 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 A (c) tower B
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding cross bracing (c) having a wide base (d) keeping a simple shape
8. 8.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a light roof (d) adding cross bracing
10. 10.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 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 B (c) tower C
11. 11.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
12. 12.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) keeping a simple shape (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a heavy roof
13. 13.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
14. 14.🏚️ 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
15. 15.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
16. 16.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) fitting rubber base pads
17. 17.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a light roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using flexible joints
18. 18.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using flexible joints (d) adding cross bracing
19. 19.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 70 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
20. 20.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
21. 21.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a fridge (c) a telescope (d) a microscope
22. 22.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they bend, not break (c) they are cheap (d) they stop shaking
23. 23.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
24. 24.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
25. 25.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
26. 26.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
27. 27.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
28. 28.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
29. 29.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) using a heavy roof (d) having a wide base
31. 31.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 210 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
32. 32.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
33. 33.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
34. 34.True or false: having a wide base 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 160 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
36. 36.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
37. 37.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
38. 38.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
39. 39.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
40. 40.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes

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