Water Cycle — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. What happens when the sun heats water in a puddle?
A) It freezes
B) It turns to vapor
C) It turns red
D) It gets bigger
Heat from the sun gives the water enough energy to change from a liquid into a gas, and that gas is called vapor.
2. What is it called when vapor turns back into water drops?
A) Evaporation
B) Precipitation
C) Condensation
D) Melting
Condensation happens when vapor cools down and changes back into tiny liquid water drops, like the drops you see on a cold cup.
3. Where does rain go after it falls on the ground?
A) Into outer space
B) Into rivers and lakes
C) It disappears
D) Back up right away
Rain flows downhill across the land and collects in rivers and lakes, which is how the water returns to where it can be heated again.
4. Which step comes first in the water cycle?
A) Rain falls down
B) Snow melts
C) The sun heats water
D) Clouds move away
The cycle begins when the sun heats water in lakes, oceans, and puddles so it can rise into the sky; everything else happens after that.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. When water heats up and rises, it is called evaporation.
Evaporation is the step when warm water rises into the air as vapor, which is the start of the water cycle.
2. Vapor cooling into water drops is called condensation.
Condensation is the cooling step where vapor turns back into tiny water drops that build up to make clouds.
3. Rain and snow falling down is called precipitation.
Precipitation is the word for water falling from the sky, whether it comes down as rain or as snow.
4. The water cycle starts over because of the sun.
The sun keeps heating water on the ground, so its energy is what makes the cycle start over again and again.
5. Water moves from the ground to the sky and back again.
Water rises up to the sky as vapor and then comes back down as rain or snow, repeating the trip again and again.