NCERT Solutions for Class 3 EVS Chapter 07 Water A Precious Gift

Question 1. I think it will rain today because ... (write at least 2 clues)
I think it will not rain today because ... (write at least 2 clues)
Answer:
* I think it will rain today because:
* The sky is covered with dark, heavy clouds.
* A cool, strong wind is blowing.
* I think it will not rain today because:
* The sky is blue and clear of clouds.
* The day is very hot and dry, without any dampness in the air.
In simple words: Dark clouds and cool winds tell us rain is coming. A clear blue sky and hot sun mean it will stay dry.

Exam Tip: Always list clear physical clues like cloud color and wind temperature when predicting the weather.

Question 2. Ask yourself as many questions as you can about the rain.
• Is it a heavy rain or a light one?
• Are the raindrops big or small?
• Do they come down fast or slow?
• Is the rain so heavy that you do not see the water drops, but only lines or sheets of water?
• Is the rain falling straight down? Is it slanting or changing its direction? Guess why.
• Collect the rainwater in a vessel. Does it look clean or dirty?
Answer:
* How much rain is coming down? Is it just a light sprinkle, or is it pouring very hard?
* Are the drops large, making big splashes on the ground, or are they tiny like a soft mist?
* Do the raindrops fall very fast, making it hard to look through, or do they float down slowly?
* When you look outside, can you see single drops, or does it look like a solid wall of water?
* Does the rain fall straight down, or does the wind blow it to the side? Is the slant because of a strong breeze?
* After catching rainwater in a bowl, check how clean it is. Is it clear, or is it muddy with bits of dirt? Why do you think it is dirty?
In simple words: We can study the rain by watching how fast it falls, checking its direction, and seeing if collected water is clean.

Exam Tip: When investigating rain, observe three things: the size of the drops, the speed of fall, and the clarity of collected water.

Question 3. Draw a picture of the rain that you observed.
Answer: Here is a drawing of the rainy day I observed, showing slanting rain falling on a house and trees: In simple words: This drawing shows dark clouds letting down slanted lines of rain over a tiny house and garden.

Exam Tip: Draw slanted lines for rain to show that the wind is blowing it while it falls.

Question 4. Do you think it will rain again today? Or tomorrow? Why do you think so? Did it rain only in your area or in other nearby places as well? Make a guess, then ask and find out. Find some songs about the rain or make up one, in your language or any other. Sing some songs about the rain. Did the rain make you happy? Did it make everyone happy?
Answer:
* I feel it might rain soon because the sky has dark clouds and the air feels very warm and sticky.
* I guess the rain fell in nearby neighborhoods too, because the big clouds covered the whole sky. I will call a school friend to check if it rained at their house.
* Here is a simple rain song:
"Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, hear the rain fall,
Dancing on the rooftops, splashing on the wall.
Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, such a lovely sound,
Making little rivers all across the ground."
* Yes, the rain made me feel happy. It cooled the hot air and made the plants look bright and green. Children loved jumping in muddy puddles. But some people traveling without umbrellas might have been unhappy.
In simple words: Rain makes the weather cool and plants happy, but it can be hard for people who are traveling outside.

Exam Tip: Mention both the positive side of rain (cool weather) and the difficulties it might cause for travelers to write a balanced answer.

Question 5. Is there a stream, river, pond or lake near your village or city? Find out its name and some information about it. Visit it and draw its picture. Draw any trees, birds or animals that you see around it. Find a poem about a river and sing it in the class.
Answer:
* I live in Delhi, and the Yamuna River flows near my city. It is a famous, large river in India.
* When I visited the river banks, I saw huge banyan and neem trees. I also spotted birds like herons and kingfishers flying over the water, and little squirrels running around.
* Here is a lovely poem about a river:
"Down by the river, where the waters flow,
The river whispers secrets that only it knows.
It travels through forests, and cities, so grand,
Carrying stories across the land."
In simple words: The Yamuna River is a famous river in Delhi. Many trees, birds, and small animals live along its banks.

Exam Tip: Name a real water body near your city and list at least two types of plants and animals you can find near it.

Question 6. Do you get water delivered in a tanker? If yes, find out where the tankers bring water from. Does your water come from a well, river or lake near your village or city? Do you know anyone who faces difficulty in getting water every day?
Answer:
* Yes, sometimes during hot summers, we get water from a big blue tanker because the taps run dry. This water comes from a cleaning plant that gets water from the Yamuna River. The river water is cleaned first to make it safe for us to drink.
* Yes, I know some families who struggle to get water every day. They do not have taps in their houses, so they must stand in long lines at a public tap or wait for the water tanker. They have to save every drop of water very carefully.
In simple words: When tap water runs low, tankers bring cleaned river water to our homes. Many families still struggle to get enough water daily.

Exam Tip: Explain that tanker water is cleaned at treatment plants before it is delivered to make sure it is safe to use.

Question 7. List all the activities you can think of for which we need water. How many mugs of water do you need to brush your teeth? How much water do you use to take a shower?
Answer:
* Activities we need water for:
* Drinking when thirsty
* Cooking tasty meals
* Bathing to stay clean
* Brushing our teeth
* Washing hands and face
* Cleaning dirty dishes
* Washing dirty clothes
* Mopping the house floors
* Watering garden plants
* Flushing the toilet
* Giving water to our pets
* How much water we use:
* For brushing teeth: I use only 1 to 2 mugs of water. I always turn off the tap while brushing to save water.
* For taking a shower: I use about 10 to 15 liters of water for a quick bath. I try to keep it very short so I do not waste water.
In simple words: We need water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. We should always use small amounts so we do not waste it.

Exam Tip: Always mention that turning off the tap while brushing teeth is a key way to save mugs of water.

Question 8. Ask your grandparents or any elder:
• List all the activities you can think of for which we need water.
• How did they store water?
• Write a short story about what you found out.
Answer: My grandparents told me that when they were young, they did not have taps inside their houses. They lived in a small village, and everyone had to walk to the village well to get water.
Every morning, my grandmother would walk to the well with a metal pot on her head. They tied a bucket to a long rope to pull water up from the deep well. It was hard work, and they carried only enough water for the day.
They stored their water in big clay pots called matkas instead of plastic bottles. These clay pots kept the water very cool and fresh, even during the hot summer.
They were very careful not to waste water. They used only one bucket of water for a bath and washed clothes just once or twice a week.
In simple words: Long ago, people fetched water from wells using buckets and ropes. They stored it in clay pots to keep it cool.

Exam Tip: Use the word "matka" to describe traditional clay pots and explain why they were useful (they kept water naturally cool).

Question 9. Identify different vessels used to keep water in your home. Ask the elders in your family what types of vessels they stored water in. Were they different from what we use now? Did the vessels have different names? On a separate sheet of paper draw a picture of any vessel that you find interesting and write its name in your language. Put up an exhibition of these pictures in your classroom with the help of your teacher. Walk around and observe the drawings by your classmates. How many different kinds of vessels have been drawn? Did you find any patterns on the vessels?
Answer:
* In our home, we store water in plastic bottles, steel containers, clay pots, and glass jugs.
* My grandparents used clay pots called matkas and metal pots made of brass or copper called gagris or kalashs.
* These traditional pots were very different because they were made of natural clay and hand-crafted metals, while we use plastic and steel today.
* Yes, they had special names like matka, handi, and gagri.
* At school, we saw drawings of many kinds of pots. Some traditional clay and metal pots had beautiful designs on them, like flowers and simple carved lines.
In simple words: Today we use steel and plastic pots, but in the past, people used decorated clay and brass pots to store water.

Exam Tip: Be ready to name three traditional water pots (like matka, handi, and gagri) and the materials they were made of (clay, brass, copper).

Question 10. Prepare a birdbath - offer water to birds in the hot summer months. A birdbath contains water in a shallow plate for birds to drink and cool down. Take a shallow and wide container (an old big bowl or a base of an old pot or a bucket, less than 10 cm deep). Keep some stones in it for birds to perch. You may make the sides sloping by adding some smaller pebbles. Smaller pebbles also help insects to use this water. Add fresh water and keep the bowl in your yard, balcony or terrace. Change the water frequently. Clean the birdbath with a scrubber twice a week. Do not use this scrubber for kitchen utensils; reserve it for the garden.
Answer: This is a fun outdoor activity. You can build your own birdbath at home by following the steps above to help local birds during hot days!
In simple words: Setting up a birdbath is a great way to help birds find fresh water when it is hot outside.

Exam Tip: Remember to change the water and clean the birdbath regularly to keep it safe and healthy for the birds.

Question 11. You waited for rain and watched how raindrops fell to the ground. You collected rainwater and observed if it was clean or dirty. You saw what happened to the rainwater that fell in different places. Now write a few lines on your observations of the rain.
Answer: I watched how raindrops fell gently and made small ripples in puddles on the ground. The rainwater I collected in a clean bowl looked clear and had no dirt in it. Rain falling on roads quickly flowed away, but rain falling on dry soil was soaked up, making the ground soft and wet. This shows how rain feeds the plants and fills up wells.
In simple words: Rain water is clean when it falls. It flows away on hard concrete but gets soaked up by dry garden soil.

Exam Tip: Explain that rain water behaves differently depending on where it lands - it runs off concrete but sinks into soil.

Question 12. You found out the name and some information about a stream, river, well, pond or lake near your place. Write it in a few lines: Is this water used for drinking? If yes, how is this water carried to your home? If it is not used, why not? Was it used in the past?
Answer: Near our home, there is a small pond called Tiwari Lake. Today, nobody drinks from this pond because the water has become dirty and polluted over the years. In the past, the village community used this pond for farming and sometimes for drinking after filtering it. Now, we use piped water from water treatment plants to stay safe.
In simple words: Tiwari Lake is dirty now, so we cannot drink from it. In the past, people filtered its water to drink and water their crops.

Exam Tip: If a local water body is polluted, explain that it is unsafe to drink because of dirt and germs, unlike in the past.

Question 13. Draw a picture of your birdbath. Write the names of the birds and insects that come to drink water from your birdbath.
Answer: Here is a drawing of my home birdbath where sparrows and honeybees came to drink water: In simple words: This drawing shows a shallow stone bowl on a stand filled with fresh water and stones, where sparrows come to drink.

Exam Tip: Include flat stones in your birdbath drawing to show where birds can safely stand without slipping into deep water.

Question 14. Water is very precious. We should be cautious about how we use it. We should not waste even a drop of water. Discuss among yourselves and list the activities in your house or outside, due to which water gets polluted or wasted. How can we avoid wastage of water? Think of three solutions with your group and write them in your notebook.
Answer:
* Things that waste or pollute water:
* Leaking Taps: Leaving taps dripping or not closing them tightly wastes water.
* Using Too Much Water: Using a hose to wash cars or clean floors instead of a bucket.
* Throwing Trash: Dumping garbage or chemicals into lakes or drains pollutes the water.
* Midday Watering: Watering plants in the hot afternoon when water dries up quickly.
* Three ways to stop water wastage:
1. Fix Dripping Taps: Check and repair any leaky pipes or faucets at home right away.
2. Use a Bucket: Use a bucket and a mug instead of a running hose to wash cars or take baths.
3. Save Rainwater: Collect rainwater in large drums to water the garden plants later.
In simple words: Dripping taps and running hoses waste a lot of water. We can save water by fixing leaks, using buckets, and collecting rain.

Exam Tip: List three practical steps to save water (like fixing leaks, using buckets, and saving rainwater) to write a high-scoring answer.