Earthquake engineering

Earthquake engineering - Quiz

1. What does earthquake performance define regarding a structure?

A) The total monetary cost of building repairs.
B) Its ability to sustain its main functions during and after an earthquake.
C) The aesthetic design requirements of the building.
D) The maximum height a building can reach.

2. When is a structure considered safe after an earthquake?

A) If the surrounding landscape is undisturbed.
B) If it remains completely free of any cracks.
C) If the building remains exactly in its original position.
D) If it does not endanger lives by collapsing.

3. What is the definition of a serviceable structure?

A) It is built with flexible materials.
B) It is located in an area with low seismic activity.
C) It can fulfill the operational functions for which it was designed.
D) It can be sold for a profit after a seismic event.

4. What do major building codes assume about a building's survival during a rare, very severe earthquake?

A) It should automatically trigger emergency alarms.
B) It should be able to withstand the earthquake without any repairs needed.
C) It should suffer no damage at all.
D) It should survive without globally collapsing.

5. How should a building perform during more frequent, less severe seismic events?

A) It should remain operational.
B) It should rely on external support structures.
C) It should be demolished immediately.
D) It should experience significant structural damage.

6. What do engineers need to know regarding seismic performance assessment?

A) The exact date of the next predicted earthquake.
B) The color scheme of the interior design.
C) The quantified level of actual or anticipated performance.
D) The historical cost of the building materials.

7. What are the two primary ways to perform a seismic performance assessment?

A) Manually or via intuition.
B) Visually or via demolition.
C) Experimentally or analytically.
D) Socially or economically.

8. How is an experimental seismic evaluation typically conducted?

A) By building a wall and watching it fall.
B) By placing a model on a shake-table.
C) By simulating the earthquake on a computer.
D) By interviewing structural engineers.

9. Why are experimental tests typically expensive?

A) Because they require a large number of human participants.
B) Because they involve shake-table simulations.
C) Because they involve high-speed internet usage.
D) Because they must be repeated every year.

10. When were experimental seismic tests first performed?

A) In the early 2000s.
B) More than a century ago.
C) Within the last decade.
D) During the 1990s.

11. What has only recently become possible regarding experimental seismic testing?

A) Predicting the exact magnitude of future earthquakes.
B) Eliminating the need for structural models.
C) 1:1 scale testing on full structures.
D) Performing tests without any equipment.

12. What is a primary purpose of experimental seismic testing?

A) To replace computational models entirely.
B) To minimize the number of engineers on site.
C) Validating models and verifying analysis methods.
D) To reduce the cost of building materials.

13. What tools carry the major burden for seismic performance assessment once validated?

A) Manual paper calculations.
B) Field surveys of older buildings.
C) Physical shake-tables.
D) Computational models and numerical procedures.

14. Does a properly engineered structure have to be extremely strong or expensive?

A) Only for bridges and highways.
B) Only for residential buildings.
C) Yes, it must be the strongest possible construction.
D) No.

15. What has led to the expansion of the scope of earthquake engineering?

A) A decrease in interest from structural engineers.
B) The discovery of new building materials like plastic.
C) Tremendous costs experienced in recent earthquakes.
D) Government mandates to reduce the number of engineers.

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