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Natural Disasters

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 50mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What is a natural disaster?

a)

A red letter day

b)

A bad thing caused by a bad person

c)

An event that causes suffering brought on by nature

d)

An event that causes suffering brought on by an enemy

2.

What are giant ocean-going waves that are caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruptions called?

a)

Tsunamis

b)

Earthquake

c)

Tornadoes

d)

Hurricanes

3.

What is the Richter Scale?

a)

A system of measuring the wind

b)

A system of measuring the depth of the ocean

c)

A system of measuring the height of volcanoes

d)

A system of measuring the strength of earthquakes

4.

What do the lines on this map represent?

a)

volcanoes

b)

easrthquakes

c)

plate boundaries

d)

travel routes

5.

Which of these natural disasters happen on these plate boundaries?

a)

earthquakes

b)

volcanos

c)

both of these

d)

none of these

6.

Why do so many earthquakes and volcanos happen along plate boundaries?

a)

bad weather in these areas

b)

coincidence

c)

plates move and shift

d)

none of these

7.

What causes tsunamis?

a)

wind

b)

whales

c)

earthquakes

d)

thunderstorms

8.

Which of these is NOT a characteristic of a natural disaster?

a)

difficult to predict

b)

humans can lessen impact

c)

cause damage

d)

humans can stop them

9.

What is the molten rock from a volcano called BEFORE it erupts at the surface?

a)

lava

b)

hot rocks

c)

magma

d)

fire

10.

A period of time where there is little to no rainfall is called

a)

desert

b)

drought

c)

dust

d)

none of the above

11.

Name the natural disaster shown in the image.

a)

earthquake

b)

flood

c)

volcano

d)

avalanche

12.

A hole in the Earth's crust that can spew lava and ash is called a

a)

vortex

b)

earthquake

c)

hurricane

d)

volcano

13.

True/False. There is only ONE kind of natural disaster.

a)

True

b)

False

14.

We cannot predict the exact moment a natural disaster will occur, but we do know...

a)

what day they will happen on

b)

how big the natural disaster will be

c)

where the natural disaster is likely to occur

d)

how many people will be killed in the natural disaster

15.

A certain school is beside a river that will overflow during heavy rains. The water from the river will sometimes come through the lunchroom doors and form small puddles. What is the best option to protect the lunchroom floors?

a)

build a new school away from the river

b)

use sandbags or flood barriers outside doors to keep water from entering

c)

build a wall around the entire river so that it cannot flood

d)

stop the rain so the river cannnot flood

16.

Which of the following would NOT most likely cause a flood?

a)

heavy rain

b)

a river overflowing

c)

a dam releasing large amounts of water

d)

a drought

17.

Mrs. Nancy's class is building a design for a home. The home is built on a rubber base and is low to the ground. The students are most likely trying to built a home that will be safe during...

a)

an earthquake

b)

a volcano eruption

c)

a flood

d)

a tsunami

18.

Kahuliu, Hawaii is 15 miles from the nearest volcano. If that volcano erupted, lava would not reach the town. However, the citizens should still protect themselves against _____ from the volcano.

a)

magma

b)

storms

c)

falling ash

d)

flooding

19.

Which of the following claims is NOT true?

a)

Natural disasters can cause serious to damage to people and homes

b)

Natural disasters are difficult to predict

c)

Humans can lessen the impact of natural disasters if they are prepared

d)

Natural disasters can be prevented

20.

Which of the following is not a natural disaster?

a)

tornado

b)

hurricane

c)

tsunami

d)

car accident

21.

Which natural disaster causes most of its damage due to shaking?

a)

volcanoes

b)

tsunamis

c)

hurricanes

d)

earthquakes

22.

Earthquakes can cause damage to buildings built by humans. At the present time, the solution that science can provide to this problem is that humans can–

a)

design buildings that will be damaged less by an earthquake

b)

stop an earthquake from happening before it occurs

c)

reduce the strength of the very strongest earthquakes

d)

predict the exact time and location of all earthquakes

23.

The map shows the storm surge that happened as the result of a hurricane. Each square with a number represents a house. The owners of each house thought that they purchased their house in the safest location. Which of the following owner statements is most accurate?

a)

House 20- "Being closer to the shore is the safest place to be during a storm surge because the waves will go right over my house."

b)

House 4 - "The trees will block a lot of the storm surge on its way to my house. My house is also farther from the shore than my neighbors. It will be more difficult for the storm surge to reach me!"

c)

House 7- "The storm surge will be blocked by the trees on the way to my house."

d)

House 18- "My house is surrounded by other houses so I will be protected from the storm surge."

24.

The map shows the location of a volcano. The winds in this area usually blow from west to east. The smoke and ash from a volcano can be blown great distances, and these are harmful to humans. Based on the information given, what is the safest location for humans to build a town?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

d)

D

25.

a)

earthquake

b)

flood

c)

storm

d)

tsunami

26.

Giant ocean-going waves that are caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruptions are called?

a)

hurricanes

b)

volcanoes

c)

tsunamis

d)

tornadoes

27.

Which of these is an example of humans manipulating the environment to serve our needs?

a)

Going grocery shopping

b)

Building a house

c)

Dams to control floods and provide water for crops.

d)

Building a city

28.
What is erosion?
a)
piles of dirt and rocks
b)
cracks in the Earth
c)
wearing away of rock and soil caused by water, wind or ice.
29.
Which word describes a volcano that is erupting or will erupt soon?
a)
active
b)
dormant
c)
extinct
d)
magma
30.
Earth's crust is completely stationary and doesn't move at all. 
a)
True
b)
False
31.
the molten, fluid rock 
that issues from a volcano 
or volcanic vent
The hot ______ burned the bottoms of my shoes as I ran from the volcano. 
a)
Lava
b)
Ash
c)
Cloud
d)
Mud
32.
An unusually large 
sea wave produced 
by a sea quake
or undersea volcanic eruption
Japan must worry about the possibility of a _________. 
a)
Collapse 
b)
Flood
c)
Wavequake
d)
Tsunami 
33.
The downward falling 
or sliding of a mass 
of soil, detritus, or rock 
on or from a steep slope.
The _______ covered the sides of the buildings with a lot of mud. 
a)
Landslide
b)
Earthquake
c)
Erosion 
d)
Tremor
34.
A violent, tropical, 
cyclonic storm of 
the western North 
Atlantic.
We had to put wood over our windows because the ______ might have broken them. 
a)
Sea Storm 
b)
Tsunami 
c)
Waves
d)
Hurricane
35.
A great flowing or 
overflowing of water,
especially over land not 
usually submerged
The ______ filled the basement of my house with water. 
a)
Tsunami 
b)
Monsoon
c)
Flood
d)
Typhoon
36.

What are the pieces of rock under the earths crust called?

a)

Tec Plates

b)

Tectonic Plate

c)

plates

d)

moving things

37.

1. Which of these can cause a flood?

a)

River overflow

b)

Heavy rain

c)

Dams breaking

d)

All of the above

38.

1. Which is the fastest and most dangerouis type of flood?

a)

Slow onset flood

b)

Rapid onset flood

c)

Flash flood

39.

True or false, planting trees can help prevent flooding?

a)

True

b)

False

40.

What can cause a landslide?

a)

Soil erosion

b)

Heavy rain

c)

Human activity, e.g. mining

d)

All of the above

41.

Where should you build a house if you want to stay safe from landslides?

a)

On the edge of a mountain or hill

b)

Near a drainage path

c)

On flat land far away from hills or mountains

42.

What can happen if a drought becomes very serious?

a)

Destruction of crops

b)

Erosion of soil

c)

Water shortage

d)

All of the above

43.

What are the 20 pieces that make of the Earth’s surface called?

a)

Dinner plates

b)

Tectonic plates

c)

a. Seizemic plates

44.

What causes earthquakes?

a)

When the plates melt

b)

When the plates, hit, bump or slide against each other.

c)

When the plates dance

45.

Why does a volcano errupt?

a)

Because the magma rises up and the pressure becomes too much.

b)

Because there is an earthquake under the ground.

c)

Because there is an explosion under the ground.

46.

The "Ring of Fire" refers to...

a)

the path of volcanoes along the Pacific Ocean where the majority of volcanoes and Earthquakes take place.

b)

The pretty rings you wear around your fingers.

c)

The bubble volcano in Finding Nemo

47.

What is magma?

a)

pieces of the Earth's crust

b)

molten rock inside of a volcano

c)

small rock

d)

plates that meet

48.

A volcano has recently erupted near your home, what should you do to protect your family?

a)

Cover ventilation openings and seal doors and windows

b)

Move to higher ground

c)

Secure all heavy furniture

d)

Avoid dangerous flood waters

49.

"Avoid hot ash, charred trees, smoldering debris, and live embers. The ground may contain heat pockets that can burn you or spark another fire. Consider the danger to pets and livestock."


Which catastrophic event would this strategy most apply to?

a)

Hurricane

b)

Tornado

c)

Tsunami

d)

Wildfire

50.

Identify the catastrophic event:

a)

Hurricane

b)

Tsunami

c)

Tornado

d)

Wildfire