How Clouds give us Rain
Class 6 Science · Chapter 8: A Journey through States of Water · NCERT Curiosity section 8.7
Learn
Every day, the Sun heats water in seas, rivers, lakes and even wet soil and leaves. Huge amounts of water evaporate and rise as invisible vapour.
High above the ground the air is colder. The vapour condenses on tiny dust particles into countless droplets: a cloud. When droplets join and grow too heavy to float, they fall as rain (or as snow and hail when it is very cold).
Rainwater flows into rivers and seas, and soaks into the ground as groundwater, which we draw from wells. Then the journey starts again. This endless journey is the water cycle. The same water has been going round for millions of years, so we must keep it clean!
Explore: put the water cycle in order.
- Order the journey of water.
Remember
- Evaporation, condensation and rain keep water moving in the water cycle.
- Some rainwater becomes groundwater; we must keep water clean.
Quick check
Clouds are made of …
- tiny water droplets (or ice crystals)
- smoke
- cotton
- dust only
Answer
tiny water droplets (or ice crystals). Water vapour condenses into tiny droplets high up, forming clouds.
Think about it
If no water evaporated from the seas for a year, what would happen to rain and rivers?
One answer
Without evaporation, very little water vapour would go up, so few clouds would form and there would be almost no rain. Rivers and wells would slowly dry up.
Practice
Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.