Hydrosphere and the water cycle
Answers are for parents and teachers.
1
Give one example of each sphere: hydrosphere, atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere.
For example: a lake; the air we breathe; a rock or soil; a tree or a cat.
2
A model uses 400 beans for all of Earth’s water. How many beans stand for salt water, ice and usable fresh water?
Salt water: 388 beans. Ice: 8 beans. Usable fresh water: 4 beans.
3
Why does wet washing dry on a line even when the air is not hot?
Water evaporates from its surface at any temperature, so boiling is not needed.
4
Write the steps of the water cycle in order, starting from the sea, using five words.
For example: evaporation, condensation, cloud, precipitation, infiltration or flow back to the sea.
5
Explain in two sentences how transpiration helps a plant.
It cools the plant because evaporating water takes heat away. It also pulls water and minerals up from the roots through the xylem.