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?
- A slightly positive charge
- A full negative charge, like an ion
- A slightly negative charge
- No charge, because water is nonpolar
Read this first
Use this
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 - Y and Z
- Z and W
- X and Y
- X 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. - Water is nonpolar, so neighbors pull on each other evenly
- Like charges on neighboring molecules pull them together
- Covalent bonds join each molecule to the next one
- Slightly positive hydrogens are drawn to slightly negative oxygens
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 - Evaporation
- Capillary action
- Adhesion
- Cohesion
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 - Cohesion
- Specific heat
- Adhesion
- Surface tension
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 - Fewer molecules in the same space
- A lower freezing temperature
- A larger total mass
- More molecules in the same space
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 skin soaks up the cold from the sweat
- The sweat blocks heat from the Sun
- The sweat is colder than the air around it
- The evaporating water takes heat from the skin
Not to scale. Pia compares two cases. Which one shows adhesion, and why?
Case 1: a water drop keeps a round dome on a plate. Case 2: water creeps up a paper strip dipped in a cup. Not to scale. Case 1: a water drop keeps a round dome on a plate. Case 2: water creeps up a paper strip dipped in a cup. Not to scale. Case 1 plate water drop Case 2 paper strip water cup - Case 1, because water molecules hold together
- Case 2, because water is attracted to the paper
- Case 2, because water molecules hold together
- Neither case, because both come from heat
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.
Tala reads the table. By how many °C did the water's temperature rise?
- 21 °C
- 18 °C
- 3 °C
- 15 °C
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 warms more slowly
- The water ends up hotter
- The water warms faster
- The water stays at one temperature