Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 764 · 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.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
2. 2.🏚️ 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 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a light roof
4. 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using a light roof (c) using flexible joints (d) adding cross bracing
5. 5.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
6. 6.🏚️ 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 30 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 A (b) tower B (c) tower C
7. 7.🏚️ 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
8. 8.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
9. 9.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a light roof (d) stacking loose bricks
10. 10.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
11. 11.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they look nice (b) they stop shaking (c) they bend, not break (d) they are cheap
12. 12.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
13. 13.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
14. 14.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) keeping a simple shape
16. 16.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
17. 17.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
18. 18.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
19. 19.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) hanging outside (b) on the very top (c) low down (d) on a thin pole
20. 20.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
21. 21.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) keeping a simple shape (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding steel to concrete
22. 22.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing 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.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) adding cross bracing (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
25. 25.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
26. 26.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
27. 27.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a heavy roof (c) making brittle joints (d) leaving out steel bars
28. 28.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a fridge (c) a telescope (d) a microscope
29. 29.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) making brittle joints (d) using a light roof
30. 30.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
31. 31.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
32. 32.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding cross bracing
33. 33.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) making brittle joints (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using flexible joints
34. 34.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
35. 35.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) building tall and narrow
37. 37.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
38. 38.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
39. 39.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) keeping a simple shape (d) using flexible joints
40. 40.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True

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