The Water Cycle — Drills · Grade 9 Science

Chapter: Atmosphere & Weather

What these drills covers

By the end of The Water Cycle you should be able to:

8 questions, multiple choice, numeric and written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, transpiration.

Problem 1

The change from liquid water to water vapour is
  1. condensation
  2. evaporation
  3. precipitation
  4. infiltration
Answer and explanation

evaporation

Evaporation adds vapour to the atmosphere; condensation is the reverse.

Problem 2

Water vapour cooling and forming droplets is
  1. evaporation
  2. condensation
  3. runoff
  4. transpiration
Answer and explanation

condensation

Cooling air reaches saturation and vapour condenses, forming cloud.

Problem 3

Water released from plant leaves is
  1. transpiration
  2. infiltration
  3. runoff
  4. precipitation
Answer and explanation

transpiration

Transpiration moves water from soil through plants into the air.

Problem 4

The energy driving the water cycle comes mainly from
  1. Earth's interior
  2. the Sun
  3. the Moon
  4. tides
Answer and explanation

the Sun

Solar energy evaporates water; gravity returns it.

Problem 5

Of 100 mm of rain, 30 mm runs off and 20 mm evaporates. How many millimetres infiltrate, assuming nothing else?
Answer and explanation

50 mm

100 − 30 − 20 = 50 mm soaks into the ground.

Problem 6

Paving a field with concrete most directly increases
  1. infiltration
  2. runoff
  3. transpiration
  4. groundwater recharge
Answer and explanation

runoff

Water cannot soak in, so more flows across the surface, raising flood risk.

Problem 7

Explain why the water cycle conserves water even though water appears to be 'used up'.
Answer and explanation

Water changes state and location but is not created or destroyed in the cycle: what evaporates returns as precipitation, and what soaks in reappears in rivers or is taken up by plants. Water can become unavailable locally — polluted, salty, or stored deep underground — which is what 'using it up' usually means, but the total amount on Earth stays essentially constant.

Response criteria

  • State a scientifically accurate conclusion.
  • Show the data, mechanism, or calculation that supports it.
  • Include units, conditions, or limits where relevant.

Problem 8

Explain how removing forest cover changes the local water cycle.
Answer and explanation

Trees intercept rain, slow its arrival at the ground, and return large volumes to the air by transpiration. Removing them reduces transpiration and interception, so more water runs off quickly over the surface rather than soaking in. The result is higher peak river flows and flood risk, less groundwater recharge, more soil erosion, and often a drier local atmosphere.

Response criteria

  • State a scientifically accurate conclusion.
  • Show the data, mechanism, or calculation that supports it.
  • Include units, conditions, or limits where relevant.

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