Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 844 · 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) adding steel to concrete (b) keeping a simple shape (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding cross bracing
2. 2.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
3. 3.🏚️ Does having a wide base make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
4. 4.🏚️ 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 100 cm tall on a 20 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 C (c) tower A
5. 5.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
6. 6.🏚️ 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
7. 7.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) stacking loose bricks (c) making brittle joints (d) using a heavy roof
8. 8.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) building tall and narrow (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a heavy roof
9. 9.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
10. 10.True or false: using a light roof makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
11. 11.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
12. 12.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) using a light roof (c) using a heavy roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) making brittle joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a heavy roof
14. 14.True or false: making brittle joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
15. 15.True or false: adding cross bracing makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
16. 16.🏚️ 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
17. 17.🏚️ Does raising heavy tanks high make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
18. 18.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
19. 19.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
20. 20.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
21. 21.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
22. 22.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) having a wide base (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using a light roof (d) making brittle joints
23. 23.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 40 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
24. 24.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
25. 25.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower C (c) tower A
26. 26.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a light roof (b) making brittle joints (c) building tall and narrow (d) raising heavy tanks high
27. 27.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 30 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 hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
28. 28.True or false: adding steel to concrete makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
29. 29.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
30. 30.🏚️ Where should heavy water tanks go in a quake zone? (a) on a thin pole (b) hanging outside (c) on the very top (d) low down
31. 31.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a shake table (b) a fridge (c) a microscope (d) a telescope
32. 32.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) keeping a simple shape (c) adding steel to concrete (d) raising heavy tanks high
33. 33.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 120 cm tall on a 30 cm wide base, tower B is 30 cm tall on a 10 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. 34.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
35. 35.🏚️ 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 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
36. 36.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) having a wide base (d) using a heavy roof
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) stacking loose bricks (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using a light roof
38. 38.🏚️ Does fitting rubber base pads make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
39. 39.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) fitting rubber base pads
40. 40.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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