Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 811 · 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: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
2. 2.🏚️ 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 90 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
3. 3.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
4. 4.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
5. 5.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
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 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
7. 7.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is harder to tip over (c) it is colourful (d) it is lighter
8. 8.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
9. 9.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
10. 10.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) leaving out steel bars (c) using flexible joints (d) adding cross bracing
11. 11.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
12. 12.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) building tall and narrow
14. 14.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) adding cross bracing
15. 15.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) making brittle joints (b) having a wide base (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) leaving out steel bars
16. 16.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) adding steel to concrete (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) using a light roof
17. 17.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
18. 18.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) adding steel to concrete (d) adding cross bracing
19. 19.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 40 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 C (c) tower A
20. 20.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
21. 21.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
22. 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) building tall and narrow (b) using flexible joints (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
23. 23.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
24. 24.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
25. 25.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
26. 26.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 70 cm tall on a 10 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
27. 27.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
28. 28.🏚️ Why are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice
29. 29.🏚️ 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
30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) keeping a simple shape (d) leaving out steel bars
31. 31.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
32. 32.🏚️ 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 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 A (c) tower B
33. 33.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
34. 34.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) adding cross bracing
35. 35.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) building tall and narrow (c) using a heavy roof (d) leaving out steel bars
36. 36.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
37. 37.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
38. 38.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) using a light roof (c) making brittle joints (d) having a wide base
39. 39.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a shake table (c) a microscope (d) a fridge

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