Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 792 · 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.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is colourful (b) it is lighter (c) it is taller (d) it is harder to tip over
2. 2.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table
3. 3.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) adding cross bracing (d) using a heavy roof
4. 4.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
5. 5.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
6. 6.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a light roof (d) building tall and narrow
7. 7.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
8. 8.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) having a wide base
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) having a wide base (b) using flexible joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) stacking loose bricks
10. 10.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) making brittle joints
11. 11.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a heavy roof (c) stacking loose bricks (d) making brittle joints
12. 12.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
13. 13.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) on the very top (c) low down (d) hanging outside
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) building tall and narrow (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) adding steel to concrete
15. 15.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) leaving out steel bars (d) using flexible joints
17. 17.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
18. 18.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) leaving out steel bars (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) building tall and narrow
19. 19.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a light roof (c) making brittle joints (d) using a heavy roof
20. 20.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a heavy roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) having a wide base
21. 21.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
22. 22.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they stop shaking (b) they are cheap (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice
23. 23.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
24. 24.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
25. 25.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) adding cross bracing (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a light roof
26. 26.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
27. 27.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
28. 28.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
29. 29.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a light roof (c) using flexible joints (d) making brittle joints
31. 31.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) having a wide base (c) using a light roof (d) stacking loose bricks
32. 32.🏚️ 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 90 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
33. 33.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
34. 34.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
35. 35.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
36. 36.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
37. 37.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 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
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) having a wide base (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding cross bracing
39. 39.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes

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