Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings
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.
NameDateTime takenScore ___ / 40
- 1.🏚️ Does stacking loose bricks make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 2.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) keeping a simple shape (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) leaving out steel bars
- 3.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on the very top (b) hanging outside (c) on a thin pole (d) low down
- 4.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) using flexible joints (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) leaving out steel bars
- 5.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 6.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) leaving out steel bars (c) having a wide base (d) fitting rubber base pads
- 7.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 8.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 9.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 10.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using a light roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
- 11.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 12.🏚️ 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 20 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 B (b) tower A (c) tower C
- 13.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 14.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
- 15.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 240 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 120 cm tall on a 20 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 A (c) tower B
- 16.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is lighter (c) it is harder to tip over (d) it is colourful
- 17.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 18.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
- 19.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
- 20.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 21.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 40 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 C (c) tower A
- 22.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) using flexible joints (c) using a light roof (d) adding cross bracing
- 23.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 24.🏚️ 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 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
- 25.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 26.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
- 27.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) making brittle joints (c) adding steel to concrete (d) having a wide base
- 28.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
- 29.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) building tall and narrow
- 30.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 20 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 C (b) tower A (c) tower B
- 31.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) keeping a simple shape (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a heavy roof
- 32.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a fridge (b) a microscope (c) a shake table (d) a telescope
- 33.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
- 34.🏚️ 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
- 35.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a light roof (b) making brittle joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) raising heavy tanks high
- 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) using flexible joints (c) having a wide base (d) raising heavy tanks high
- 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding steel to concrete (d) making brittle joints
- 38.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 20 cm tall on a 10 cm wide base, tower B is 10 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
- 39.True or false: raising heavy tanks high makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
- 40.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
Answer key
- less safe
- keeping a simple shape
- low down
- leaving out steel bars
- safer in earthquakes
- leaving out steel bars
- safer in earthquakes
- safer in earthquakes
- safer in earthquakes
- building tall and narrow
- False
- tower A
- False
- False
- tower A
- it is harder to tip over
- False
- safer in earthquakes
- tower A
- safer in earthquakes
- tower B
- using a heavy roof
- False
- tower B
- less safe
- less safe
- making brittle joints
- tower C
- having a wide base
- tower C
- using a heavy roof
- a shake table
- tower C
- they bend, not break
- using a light roof
- raising heavy tanks high
- adding steel to concrete
- tower B
- False
- False
Free engineering lessons, practice and worksheets at talentjr.in/engineering-for-kids