Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 915 · 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 is the odd one out? (a) fitting rubber base pads (b) adding cross bracing (c) using flexible joints (d) using a heavy roof
2. 2.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) adding steel to concrete (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) adding cross bracing
3. 3.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a telescope (b) a microscope (c) a fridge (d) a shake table
4. 4.🏚️ 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 50 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 A (c) tower B
5. 5.True or false: having a wide base makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
6. 6.🏚️ Does leaving out steel bars make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
7. 7.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) stacking loose bricks (c) adding cross bracing (d) building tall and narrow
8. 8.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) fitting rubber base pads (c) using flexible joints (d) keeping a simple shape
9. 9.True or false: using flexible joints makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
10. 10.🏚️ 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 120 cm tall on a 20 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
11. 11.🏚️ 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
12. 12.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using a heavy roof (b) adding steel to concrete (c) leaving out steel bars (d) stacking loose bricks
13. 13.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
14. 14.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) building tall and narrow (c) having a wide base (d) raising heavy tanks high
15. 15.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) raising heavy tanks high (b) using a heavy roof (c) keeping a simple shape (d) building tall and narrow
16. 16.🏚️ Does using flexible joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
17. 17.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) raising heavy tanks high (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) keeping a simple shape
18. 18.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 60 cm tall on a 20 cm wide base, tower B is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 180 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
19. 19.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a light roof (c) adding steel to concrete (d) using a heavy roof
20. 20.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
21. 21.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
22. 22.🏚️ Does adding steel to concrete make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
23. 23.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) making brittle joints (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) building tall and narrow
24. 24.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) having a wide base (c) adding cross bracing (d) using flexible joints
25. 25.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) making brittle joints (c) having a wide base (d) adding steel to concrete
26. 26.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
27. 27.🏚️ 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 120 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 C (b) tower B (c) tower A
28. 28.🏚️ 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 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
29. 29.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding steel to concrete (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) stacking loose bricks
30. 30.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) stacking loose bricks (c) using a heavy roof (d) having a wide base
31. 31.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
32. 32.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
33. 33.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
34. 34.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
35. 35.🔍 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
36. 36.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is taller (b) it is colourful (c) it is lighter (d) it is harder to tip over
37. 37.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
38. 38.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using flexible joints
39. 39.True or false: fitting rubber base pads makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
40. 40.🏚️ 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

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