Water Cycle — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. The sun makes water warm and it rises as vapor.
When sunlight warms water, the water changes into vapor and rises up into the sky as an invisible gas.
2. When vapor cools, it makes a cloud.
High in the cool air, vapor changes back into tiny water drops, and those drops gather to make a cloud.
3. Water that falls from clouds is called rain.
Water that comes down from a cloud onto the ground is called rain.
4. Rain fills up ponds, rivers, and lakes.
Rain pours into low spots on the land, filling ponds, rivers, and lakes with fresh water.
5. Then the sun heats the water again.
After the water gathers on the ground, the sun heats it once more and the whole journey begins again.
6. This pattern is called the water cycle.
Because the same water keeps moving from sky to ground and back, the whole pattern is called the water cycle.
7. Snow and rain are both types of water.
Snow and rain are both water falling from the sky in different forms, so each one is a kind of water.
8. Warm air helps water go up into the sky.
Warm air is light and rises, lifting water vapor up into the sky where clouds can form.
9. Clouds are made of many tiny water drops.
A cloud is not solid; it is made of many tiny water drops floating close together.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
sun
→ heats the water
heats the water
cloud
→ holds water drops
holds water drops
rain
→ falls from the sky
falls from the sky
lake
→ collects rainwater
collects rainwater
The sun heats the water to start things moving, a cloud holds water drops up high, rain falls from the sky to the ground, and a lake collects the rainwater that flows in.