KS3 the water cycle - including sleet, snow and rain

Geography Quiz - The Water Cycle 01 (Questions)

Follow a water droplet on its journey from sea to sky and back again, and see how the water cycle shapes weather and landscapes.

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(quiz starts below)

Fascinating Fact:

When cloud droplets grow heavy enough, they fall to the ground as precipitation, which can be rain, snow, sleet or hail depending on the temperature.

In KS3 Geography, you study the water cycle and how water moves between the sea, land and atmosphere. This constant cycling helps to create clouds, rainfall patterns, rivers and many of the landscapes we see around us.

Key Terms

Evaporation: The process where liquid water is heated and changes into water vapour, rising into the atmosphere.
Condensation: The cooling of water vapour into tiny droplets that group together to form clouds in the atmosphere.
Precipitation: Water that falls from clouds to the ground, such as rain or snow, when droplets become too heavy to stay in the air.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is the water cycle in simple terms?

The water cycle is the continuous movement of water between the sea, land and atmosphere. Water evaporates, forms clouds through condensation and then returns to the surface as precipitation.

What are the main stages of the water cycle for KS3 Geography?

The main stages are evaporation from surfaces such as seas and lakes, condensation to form clouds, precipitation back to the ground and collection in rivers, lakes, groundwater and the oceans.

Why is the water cycle important for weather and rivers?

The water cycle controls how much moisture is in the atmosphere, which affects cloud cover and rainfall. It also feeds rivers and lakes, influencing flooding, drought and water supply for people and ecosystems.

Try These Related Quizzes

Which word is not part of the water cycle?

[ ]	Condensation
[ ]	Evaporation
[ ]	Separation
[ ]	Transpiration

What is the name for all forms of moisture that reach the ground?

[ ]	Perspiration
[ ]	Precipitation
[ ]	Prescription
[ ]	Preservation

Another word for throughflow is what?

[ ]	Flirtation
[ ]	Infiltration
[ ]	Interception
[ ]	Transpiration

Very high, thin wispy clouds have what name?

[ ]	Cirrus
[ ]	Cumulonimbus
[ ]	Cumulus
[ ]	Stratus

Precipitation returns to the atmosphere as what?

[ ]	Water spouts
[ ]	Water vacuums
[ ]	Water valency
[ ]	Water vapour

Transpiration involves the release of water by what?

[ ]	Lakes
[ ]	Rocks
[ ]	Trees and plants
[ ]	Wildlife

Warm and cold air meeting causes what sort of rain?

[ ]	Convection rain
[ ]	Frontal rain
[ ]	Purple rain
[ ]	Relief rain

What will reduce rates of infiltration?

[ ]	Gentle slopes
[ ]	Impermeable surface rock
[ ]	Light rain
[ ]	Permeable surface rock

Man-made attempts to form cloud and rain is called what?

[ ]	Cloud seeding
[ ]	Mist meddling
[ ]	Overcasting
[ ]	Rain conjuring

10.

What type of rain is caused by moist air rising over mountains?

[ ]	Cats and dogs
[ ]	Convection
[ ]	Relief
[ ]	Summit

Geography Quiz - The Water Cycle 01 (Answers)

Which word is not part of the water cycle?

[ ]	Condensation
[ ]	Evaporation
[x]	Separation
[ ]	Transpiration

Condensation forms clouds. Evaporation and transpiration put water vapour into the air

What is the name for all forms of moisture that reach the ground?

[ ]	Perspiration
[x]	Precipitation
[ ]	Prescription
[ ]	Preservation

The water on the Earth today is the same that was here when dinosaurs lived!

Another word for throughflow is what?

[ ]	Flirtation
[x]	Infiltration
[ ]	Interception
[ ]	Transpiration

It is the downward movement of water into the soil

Very high, thin wispy clouds have what name?

[x]	Cirrus
[ ]	Cumulonimbus
[ ]	Cumulus
[ ]	Stratus

They often mean bad weather is on the way

Precipitation returns to the atmosphere as what?

[ ]	Water spouts
[ ]	Water vacuums
[ ]	Water valency
[x]	Water vapour

There is always some water vapour in our atmosphere

Transpiration involves the release of water by what?

[ ]	Lakes
[ ]	Rocks
[x]	Trees and plants
[ ]	Wildlife

Water vapour is released from the leaves

Warm and cold air meeting causes what sort of rain?

[ ]	Convection rain
[x]	Frontal rain
[ ]	Purple rain
[ ]	Relief rain

The warm air is forced to rise over the cold air

What will reduce rates of infiltration?

[ ]	Gentle slopes
[x]	Impermeable surface rock
[ ]	Light rain
[ ]	Permeable surface rock

Impermeable rock will not let water through