Evaporation & the Water Cycle · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Evaporation and the Water Cycle

Science · Matter & Materials · ages 8-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which word means water vapor turning back into liquid water?

    • Evaporation
    • Condensation
    • Melting

  2. Which word means liquid water turning into a gas?

    • Condensation
    • Evaporation
    • Freezing

  3. Puddles dry up faster on hot, sunny days than on cold days.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. This chart shows how fast a puddle disappears on a cool day versus a hot day. Why does evaporation happen faster on the hot day?

    Cool day2Hot day8
    • Heat gives the water more energy to escape as gas
    • Heat makes the puddle absorb more dirt
    • Heat turns the water into ice

  5. This chart shows the start of the water cycle. What happens right after water evaporates from the sea?

    Sea warmsEvaporates?
    • It falls straight down as rain
    • It rises, cools, and condenses into clouds
    • It freezes into ice on the sea

  6. Which order is correct for the water cycle?

    • Evaporation, then condensation, then precipitation
    • Precipitation, then evaporation, then condensation
    • Condensation, then precipitation, then evaporation

  7. On Monday it was 15°C and sunny. On Tuesday it was 30°C and sunny. On which day would a wet towel dry faster?

    • Both the same, since temperature does not affect drying
    • Monday, because cooler air holds water better
    • Tuesday, because the higher heat speeds up evaporation

  8. Ben says puddles evaporate fastest on cold, cloudy days because the air feels damp. What is wrong with his idea?

    • Nothing, Ben is right
    • Evaporation is actually fastest on warm, sunny days, not cold ones
    • Puddles only evaporate when it is raining
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Evaporation and the Water Cycle W1-mt_Qkewo5M3_c-s1

  1. Condensation · Condensation is a gas turning back into a liquid.
  2. Evaporation · Evaporation is liquid turning into a gas called water vapor.
  3. True · Heat gives water more energy to evaporate, so puddles dry faster when it's hot.
  4. Heat gives the water more energy to escape as gas · The extra heat energy helps water molecules escape into the air faster, so evaporation speeds up.
  5. It rises, cools, and condenses into clouds · Water vapor rises into the cooler sky, where it condenses into tiny droplets that form clouds.
  6. Evaporation, then condensation, then precipitation · Water evaporates first, then condenses into clouds, and finally falls as precipitation.
  7. Tuesday, because the higher heat speeds up evaporation · More heat means more energy for the water in the towel to evaporate, so the hotter day dries it faster.
  8. Evaporation is actually fastest on warm, sunny days, not cold ones · Higher temperatures speed up evaporation, so puddles dry fastest on warm, sunny days, not cold ones.
Worksheet · LightMySky