Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 771 · 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 of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) having a wide base (c) using flexible joints (d) keeping a simple shape
2. 2.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
3. 3.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
4. 4.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
5. 5.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
6. 6.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
7. 7.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) low down (b) hanging outside (c) on a thin pole (d) on the very top
8. 8.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using a light roof (d) using a heavy roof
9. 9.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) using a heavy roof (d) having a wide base
10. 10.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
11. 11.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) making brittle joints (d) using flexible joints
12. 12.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a heavy roof
14. 14.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding cross bracing (c) using flexible joints (d) having a wide base
15. 15.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
16. 16.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using a heavy roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) raising heavy tanks high
17. 17.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 30 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
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a light roof (c) using flexible joints (d) stacking loose bricks
19. 19.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they bend, not break (c) they stop shaking (d) they look nice
20. 20.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
21. 21.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
22. 22.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
23. 23.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using a light roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) having a wide base
25. 25.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
26. 26.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 280 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
27. 27.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table
28. 28.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
29. 29.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
30. 30.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) keeping a simple shape (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding cross bracing
31. 31.🏚️ 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 20 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
32. 32.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
33. 33.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is lighter
34. 34.True or false: stacking loose bricks 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 60 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
36. 36.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
37. 37.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) using flexible joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) keeping a simple shape
38. 38.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
39. 39.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) leaving out steel bars (d) adding steel to concrete

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