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.
Condensation is when warm vapor meets cool air and changes back into liquid water drops, like when dew forms on a cold glass.
2. When vapor cools, it makes a cloud.
Evaporation is the process where the sun heats water and turns it into vapor. That's why puddles seem to disappear on sunny days.
3. Water that falls from clouds is called rain.
Precipitation is the word for any water that falls from clouds. Both snow and rain fall down from clouds, so both are types of precipitation.
4. Rain fills up ponds, rivers, and lakes.
Rivers are long pathways of moving water. After rain lands on the ground, it runs downhill into small streams and bigger rivers.
5. Then the sun heats the water again.
Because the water cycle keeps repeating round and round, there is no first step and no last step — it has no end.
6. This pattern is called the water cycle.
Warm air has lots of energy, which helps water change into vapor more quickly. That's why laundry dries faster on a hot day.
7. Snow and rain are both types of water.
Gray clouds look dark because they are holding lots of thick water drops. When clouds get this heavy, rain usually starts to fall.
8. Warm air helps water go up into the sky.
Soil is the dirt on the ground, and it has tiny spaces between its bits. Water slips into those spaces, which is how plants get a drink.
9. Clouds are made of many tiny water drops.
The water cycle is the full journey water makes around our planet — from oceans to sky to ground and back — so its name starts with water.
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
Each action leads to the next step: sun heat begins evaporation, rising vapor cools into clouds, heavy clouds release precipitation, and fallen water is collected in lakes and rivers.