Engineering Worksheet: Earthquake-Safe Buildings

Engineering lesson 21: Earthquake-safe buildings · Set 956 · 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) adding cross bracing (b) having a wide base (c) building tall and narrow (d) using a light roof
2. 2.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
3. 3.True or false: building tall and narrow makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
4. 4.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) using flexible joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) stacking loose bricks (d) fitting rubber base pads
5. 5.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) stacking loose bricks (b) using a light roof (c) raising heavy tanks high (d) leaving out steel bars
6. 6.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 40 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 are flexible joints good in an earthquake? (a) they are cheap (b) they stop shaking (c) they bend, not break (d) they look nice
8. 8.🏚️ Does using a heavy roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
9. 9.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using a light roof (c) making brittle joints (d) fitting rubber base pads
10. 10.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) keeping a simple shape (b) making brittle joints (c) fitting rubber base pads (d) using flexible joints
11. 11.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 200 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 40 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 140 cm tall on a 20 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower C (c) tower B
12. 12.True or false: having a wide base makes a building less safe in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
13. 13.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) having a wide base (c) stacking loose bricks (d) keeping a simple shape
14. 14.🏚️ 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 80 cm tall on a 20 cm base and tower C is 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower B (b) tower A (c) tower C
15. 15.🏚️ Does building tall and narrow make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
16. 16.🏚️ 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 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 30 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
17. 17.🏚️ Does making brittle joints make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
18. 18.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) adding cross bracing (b) using flexible joints (c) using a heavy roof (d) fitting rubber base pads
19. 19.🏚️ 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 200 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
20. 20.True or false: leaving out steel bars makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
21. 21.🏚️ Why is a wide base safer? (a) it is harder to tip over (b) it is colourful (c) it is lighter (d) it is taller
22. 22.🏚️ Does using a light roof make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
23. 23.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) adding cross bracing (c) stacking loose bricks (d) using a heavy roof
24. 24.🏚️ 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
25. 25.🏚️ 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 50 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 160 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower A (b) tower B (c) tower C
26. 26.🏚️ What do engineers use to test models of buildings for earthquakes? (a) a microscope (b) a fridge (c) a shake table (d) a telescope
27. 27.True or false: keeping a simple shape makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
28. 28.🏚️ Does keeping a simple shape make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) safer in earthquakes (b) less safe
29. 29.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) making brittle joints (b) using a heavy roof (c) building tall and narrow (d) using flexible joints
30. 30.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 10 cm tall on a 10 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
31. 31.True or false: using a heavy roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False
32. 32.Which of these makes a building safer in earthquakes? (a) adding steel to concrete (b) stacking loose bricks (c) making brittle joints (d) raising heavy tanks high
33. 33.🏚️ Does adding cross bracing make a building safer or less safe in an earthquake? (a) less safe (b) safer in earthquakes
34. 34.🏚️ Three solid model towers are made of the same material. Tower A is 80 cm tall on a 40 cm wide base, tower B is 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 30 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
35. 35.🏚️ 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 60 cm tall on a 10 cm base. Which is the hardest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower B (c) tower A
36. 36.True or false: using a light roof makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) False (b) True
37. 37.🔍 Which is the odd one out? (a) using a heavy roof (b) building tall and narrow (c) stacking loose bricks (d) adding cross bracing
38. 38.Which of these makes a building less safe in earthquakes? (a) leaving out steel bars (b) having a wide base (c) using a light roof (d) using flexible joints
39. 39.🏚️ 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 150 cm tall on a 30 cm base and tower C is 120 cm tall on a 40 cm base. Which is the easiest to tip over? (a) tower C (b) tower A (c) tower B
40. 40.True or false: stacking loose bricks makes a building safer in earthquakes. (a) True (b) False

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