A model shows water rising from an ocean into the air, and later falling and flowing downhill into a river. Which pair of causes best explains these two movements?

A class traces one drop of water that has just evaporated from an ocean. What does a scientific model of the water cycle predict about the path that water will follow?

Water can evaporate from a lake at temperatures far below the boiling point of water.

A weather forecast says a storm will bring precipitation to the region. Which set of examples could all correctly be called precipitation?

Gravity pulls water downhill both on Earth's surface and underground through soil and rock.

Warm, moist air rises above a valley and cools. Tiny liquid water droplets form in the cooling air and a cloud appears. Which process formed those droplets?

During a winter storm, water falls from a cloud and lands on the ground as snow. How should a water cycle model classify this event?

Rain falls on a sandy hillside. Some of the water soaks down through spaces in the soil and rock and then moves slowly downhill beneath the surface. What does the model call this water?

Heavy rain falls on a paved parking lot. The water cannot soak in, so it runs across the pavement and into a storm drain that empties into a creek. Which pathway is this?

Ocean water is salty, so it is not fresh water. Of Earth's fresh water, the largest share is stored in one place. Where is it?

Warm summer air reaches the edge of a mountain glacier. Solid ice turns to liquid water, and that water runs downhill into a stream. Which two processes happened, in order?

Solar energy warms the surface of an ocean. Which change in the water cycle does that added energy make possible?

A student draws the water cycle as one circle: ocean, cloud, rain, river, ocean. A classmate says the drawing is an incomplete model. What is the strongest reason?

An open pan with a sealed bottom sits outdoors. Day 1: 500 mL. Day 3: 470 mL. Day 5: 445 mL. No rain fell. What best explains this trend?

Two identical open pans each start with 300 mL of water. One sits in sunlight, one in shade. After three days the sunny pan holds 240 mL and the shady pan holds 285 mL. What does this evidence support?

A cold glass of water sits on a table on a warm, humid day. Drops of water appear on the outside of the glass. Where did those drops come from?

Some water travels through the cycle without ever reaching land. Which pathway describes that trip?

Water leaves the ocean by evaporation and returns by several pathways. Over one year, what does the water cycle model say about the total amount of water on Earth?

Cold air moves over a shallow pond and the surface water turns to solid ice. Which process is this, and what happens to that water afterward?

A reservoir behind a dam holds river water for a town. Which combination of pathways can move water out of that reservoir?