Why water matters for life: cohesion, adhesion, heat and ice
Grade 9 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.
Ari studies a water molecule drawn as beads. Bead X is the oxygen. What charge does the oxygen end of a water molecule carry?
- No charge, because water is nonpolar
- A full negative charge, like an ion
- A slightly positive charge
- A slightly negative charge
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Two water molecules drawn as beads, not to scale. Molecule 1: an oxygen bead joined by solid lines to two hydrogen beads. Molecule 2: the same. A dashed line joins one hydrogen bead of molecule 1 to the oxygen bead of molecule 2. Beads are lettered: X is the oxygen of molecule 1, Y is the hydrogen of molecule 1 that has the dashed line, Z is the oxygen of molecule 2, and W is a hydrogen of molecule 2.
Bo labels beads in the drawing. Which two beads are joined by a hydrogen bond?
Two water molecules drawn as beads, not to scale. Molecule 1: an oxygen bead joined by solid lines to two hydrogen beads. Molecule 2: the same. A dashed line joins one hydrogen bead of molecule 1 to the oxygen bead of molecule 2. Beads are lettered: X is the oxygen of molecule 1, Y is the hydrogen of molecule 1 that has the dashed line, Z is the oxygen of molecule 2, and W is a hydrogen of molecule 2. Two water molecules drawn as beads, not to scale. Molecule 1: an oxygen bead joined by solid lines to two hydrogen beads. Molecule 2: the same. A dashed line joins one hydrogen bead of molecule 1 to the oxygen bead of molecule 2. Beads are lettered: X is the oxygen of molecule 1, Y is the hydrogen of molecule 1 that has the dashed line, Z is the oxygen of molecule 2, and W is a hydrogen of molecule 2. Molecule 1 Molecule 2 X Y Z W - X and W
- X and Y
- Y and Z
- Z and W
Esme asks why two water molecules in the drawing attract each other. Which reason is right?
Two water molecules drawn as beads, not to scale. Molecule 1: an oxygen bead joined by solid lines to two hydrogen beads. Molecule 2: the same. A dashed line joins one hydrogen bead of molecule 1 to the oxygen bead of molecule 2. Two water molecules drawn as beads, not to scale. Molecule 1: an oxygen bead joined by solid lines to two hydrogen beads. Molecule 2: the same. A dashed line joins one hydrogen bead of molecule 1 to the oxygen bead of molecule 2. Molecule 1 Molecule 2 O H H O H H Two water molecules drawn as beads, not to scale. - Covalent bonds join each molecule to the next one
- Water is nonpolar, so neighbors pull on each other evenly
- Slightly positive hydrogens are drawn to slightly negative oxygens
- Like charges on neighboring molecules pull them together
A drop on Jun's desk keeps a round dome. Its water molecules are attracted to other water molecules. What is that attraction called?
A small drop drawn as four water molecule beads in a row, not to scale. Each bead is joined to the next by a dashed hydrogen bond. A small drop drawn as four water molecule beads in a row, not to scale. Each bead is joined to the next by a dashed hydrogen bond. small drop, not to scale H_2O H_2O H_2O H_2O water molecule beads - Cohesion
- Evaporation
- Capillary action
- Adhesion
Use this
not to scale.
Water clings to the side of Kira's drinking glass. The attraction is between water molecules and the glass. What is it called?
A glass wall bead with three water molecule beads touching it, not to scale. Water is attracted to the glass wall. A glass wall bead with three water molecule beads touching it, not to scale. Water is attracted to the glass wall. glass wall bead water molecule bead water molecule bead water molecule bead water is attracted to the glass wall - Specific heat
- Cohesion
- Surface tension
- Adhesion
Luz reads that ice floats because it is less dense than liquid water. What does less dense mean?
Two boxes of the same size, not to scale. Box 1 (liquid water) holds 10 molecule beads close together. Box 2 (ice) holds 8 molecule beads, farther apart. Two boxes of the same size, not to scale. Box 1 (liquid water) holds 10 molecule beads close together. Box 2 (ice) holds 8 molecule beads, farther apart. Box 1 (liquid water) Box 2 (ice) 10 molecule beads close together 8 molecule beads farther apart - A lower freezing temperature
- A larger total mass
- More molecules in the same space
- Fewer molecules in the same space
not to scale. Where the cube ends up is not shown. Milo drops an ice cube into a glass of water. Where does the ice cube end up?
A glass of water with an ice cube just dropped in, not to scale. Where the cube ends up is not shown. A glass of water with an ice cube just dropped in, not to scale. Where the cube ends up is not shown. water ice cube - Floating at the top
- Resting on the bottom
- Spread through the water
- Hanging in the middle
not to scale. After a game, Noah feels cooler as sweat dries in the breeze. Why does drying sweat cool the skin?
A person with damp skin in a breeze, not to scale. Sweat, which is mostly water, sits on the skin and slowly dries. A person with damp skin in a breeze, not to scale. Sweat, which is mostly water, sits on the skin and slowly dries. person with damp skin in a breeze Sweat, which is mostly water sits on the skin and slowly dries - The evaporating water takes heat from the skin
- The sweat blocks heat from the Sun
- The sweat is colder than the air around it
- The skin soaks up the cold from the sweat
Use the table
Material Start (°C) After 5 minutes (°C) water 18 21 sand 18 33 model data, equal masses of 250 g each under the same lamp.
Ren's class put 250 g of water and 250 g of sand under the same lamp. Which material warmed more?
- Neither; the temperatures did not change
- Water
- Sand
- Both warmed the same amount
Water has a high specific heat. Zee predicts what that means for water compared with sand under the same lamp. Which prediction is right?
- The water stays at one temperature
- The water warms more slowly
- The water warms faster
- The water ends up hotter