Water Cycle — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The sun warms water in a pond and it turns into vapor.
When sunlight heats pond water, the water changes from a liquid into a gas called vapor that floats upward.
2. Water vapor goes up and forms a cloud.
Up high, the vapor cools and turns back into tiny drops that group together to make a cloud.
3. When a cloud gets heavy, water falls as rain.
Once a cloud has too many water drops to hold, gravity pulls them down and they fall as rain.
4. Rain collects in rivers, lakes, and the ocean.
Rainwater flows downhill and ends up in the biggest body of water on Earth, which is the ocean.
5. The water cycle repeats again and again.
The word 'again' shows that the water cycle never ends — the same steps happen over and over.
6. Water that falls from the sky is called precipitation.
Scientists use the word precipitation to name any water that falls from clouds, including rain, snow, and hail.
7. Clouds are made of very tiny water drops.
A cloud is not solid — it is really millions of tiny water drops clumped together in the sky.
8. Heat from the sun starts the water cycle.
Without the sun's heat, water would never warm up enough to rise as vapor and begin the cycle.
9. Water changes from liquid to vapor by evaporation.
Evaporation is the science word for when liquid water warms up and turns into invisible gas.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
evaporation
→ water turns to vapor
water turns to vapor
condensation
→ vapor turns to drops
vapor turns to drops
precipitation
→ rain or snow falls
rain or snow falls
collection
→ water gathers in lakes
water gathers in lakes
Each step of the cycle has a special name: evaporation makes vapor, condensation makes drops, precipitation falls down, and collection stores water in lakes.