P5/6 science

Water and Changes of State

1. Kenny set up an experiment to obtain pure water from seawater. Study the experimental set-up and
answer the questions that follow.

rubber hose
metal tray
enclosed glass
container with
spout
spout
seawater
large measuring
retort stand
cylinder
flame

(a) Complete the flow chart below to explain how Kenny’s experiment works. The names of the
apparatus beside each box serve as a guide to help you along. [4m]

glass container

rubber hose

metal tray

measuring cylinder

(b) What is the main impurity present in seawater? [1m]

Taken from Science Process Skills upper Block 5/6

© Singapore Asia Publishers Pte Ltd SAPSCSP5&6_W08
Website: www.sapgrp.com | Facebook: Singapore-Asia-Publishers Page 1/7
 Page 2/7 Website: www.sapgrp.com | Facebook: Singapore-Asia-Publishers
SAPSCSP5&6_W08 © Singapore Asia Publishers Pte Ltd
Taken from Science Process Skills upper Block 5/6
Answers:  1. (a) 1. (b) Salt is the main impurity present in seawater.  1. (c) The
Seawater is heated by the flame until seawater had not yet boiled after 5 minutes. Kenny must wait
it boils to produce steam which exits longer for the seawater to boil, change into steam and condense
glass container on the metal tray to see pure water droplets being collected in the
through the spout. Salt is left behind in
the container. measuring cylinder.  1. (d) It is higher than 100°C.  1. (e) Steam
would not condense into water droplets on the wooden surface. 
1. (f) Unlike metal, wood is a poor conductor of heat and as such, its
Steam travels through the rubber hose surface does not feel cold to the touch. Steam can only condense on
until it comes into contact with the rubber hose a surface that is cold.
surface of the metal tray.
Steam condenses on the cold metal
metal tray
tray surface to form water droplets.
The water droplets are collected in the
large measuring cylinder. measuring cylinder
[1m] (f) Explain your answer given in (e).
wood? [1m]
(e) How would the results of the experiment differ if the metal tray was replaced by one made of
water droplets are being collected in the measuring cylinder? [1m]
(d) What is the temperature of seawater in the enclosed glass container during the time when pure
was his experiment not working? [2m]
change in the experimental set-up. He concluded that the experiment was not working. Why
(c) Kenny lit the flame below the glass container and waited for 5 minutes. He did not notice any
Water and Changes of State
P5/6 science
 P5/6 science

Water – A Precious Resource

Water Pollution
Water can become polluted due to the presence of harmful substances (pollutants) in it.

Sources Of Water Pollution

1 Dumping
• Dumping of poisonous chemicals or wastes into rivers or seas by factories
• Dumping of litter into rivers or seas by inconsiderate people while visiting the parks and
beaches
• Dumping of sewage, dirty water, waste materials by people living by the riverbanks

2 Oil Spills
• Oil spills may occur in the oceans. Oil may be spilt into the sea when oil tankers meet with accidents
in the water. These accidents occur when tankers collide into icebergs or with other ships.

3 Soil Erosion
• Soil erosion may cause soil and fertilizers in the land around the river bank to be washed into the
water.
• Soil erosion can worsen due to excessive cutting down of trees.
• On a more serious scale, landslides may occur due to bad weather or deforestation, causing large
masses of soil and mud to be washed into the rivers

Effects Of Water Pollution

Poisonous pollutants in the water may kill or poison aquatic plant or animal life. When man or other
animals consume these poisoned aquatic life, the poison is passed through the food chain.
Fertilizers dumped in the water may cause water weeds and algae to grow very rapidly. The large
amounts of algae and weeds cause overcrowding in the water and block sunlight from entering the
water. Other completely submerged water plants in the water cannot obtain sunlight for photosynthesis
and will eventually die. With less submerged water plants in the water to photosynthesize and give
out oxygen, there will be less dissolved oxygen in the water for the aquatic animals to breathe and they
may suffocate. When the large amounts of algae and weeds die, they will decompose in the water. Their
decomposition further uses up the oxygen in the water.
Mud, soil, oil or other waste materials in the water may also block sunlight, leading to similar problems
described above.
Oil will stick onto the feathers of birds and make them too heavy to fly. They may subsequently drown.
Aquatic animals may get choked if they eat the litter thrown into the sea by people.

Taken from Science Partner: A Complete Guide To Upper Block Science

© Singapore Asia Publishers Pte Ltd SAPSCSP5&6_W08
Website: www.sapgrp.com | Facebook: Singapore-Asia-Publishers Page 3/7
 P5/6 science

Water – A Precious Resource

Polluted water is unsafe for drinking, bathing in, washing etc., so people living along the banks of polluted
rivers will no longer be able to rely on the river as a source of fresh water.
Man is unable to use the sea and rivers for water sports such as swimming, sailing etc. if it is too
polluted.

Given all the harmful effects of water pollution, everyone can play a part to keep our waters clean and
pollution free.
We should not throw litter and other waste materials into drains, canals, rivers, seas etc.
Factories should not dump their wastes or poisonous materials into drains, canals, rivers, seas etc.
Governments can impose heavy penalties and fines to deter factory operators from disobeying water
pollution laws.
Oil spills in oceans must be cleaned up quickly although this is very costly. Governments can impose
heavy penalties and fines to oil shipping companies who fail to do so.

Water Conservation
Water is a precious resource. In Singapore, we do not have sufficient water to cater to the needs of
everyone. As such, Singapore has to find ways of obtaining more water to meet the demand. Our water
supply comes from the following sources:

1 Reservoirs 3 Recycling waste water

Without natural freshwater There are four NEWater plants

rivers and lakes, the primary (factories) in Singapore which
domestic source of water recycle waste water into useable
in Singapore is rainfall, water.
collected in reservoirs or water
catchment areas. Rainfall
supplies approximately 50% of 4 Purifying sea water
Singapore’s water.
The salt from seawater can be
removed to make pure water. This
process is known as desalination.
2 Buying water from However, desalination is a very
neighbouring countries expensive process which uses up
Singapore buys water from a lot of energy. Hence, it is not a
Malaysia and Indonesia to practical, long-term solution to
supplement the water collected use desalination to provide us
in our own reservoirs. with the water we need.

Taken from Science Partner: A Complete Guide To Upper Block Science

© Singapore Asia Publishers Pte Ltd SAPSCSP5&6_W08
Website: www.sapgrp.com | Facebook: Singapore-Asia-Publishers Page 4/7
 P5/6 science

Water – A Precious Resource

There are many ways we can save water.

We can REDUCE our consumption of water by
• taking a shower instead of a bath
• turning off the shower while we are soaping
• washing the dishes in a basin of water instead of under a running tap
• driving one’s car to an open car park when there is rain to get a free ‘car wash’
• not leaving the stream of water from the tap or water cooler running for longer than necessary
• installing toilets which allow users to ‘half-flush’ for liquid wastes and ‘full-flush’ for solid
wastes
We can REUSE water in the following ways:
• collect rainwater to wash the floor or for other cleaning purposes
• use the water that was used to rinse the rice to water the plants
The Singapore government has set up NEWater plants to RECYCLE waste water into clean, useable
water.
Apart from the little steps we can take to conserve water in our schools and homes, the government of
Singapore also encourages everyone to save water whenever possible.
Water rationing exercises are sometimes held so that people will be prepared during an emergency when
the water supply is cut. During a water rationing exercise, the water supply is deliberately cut off for a
period of time. Every household will then be allowed to fetch a predetermined amount of water from
a mobile water tanker or a location close to their homes. A water rationing exercise forces everyone to
make do with a limited amount of water.
Save water campaigns are held regularly to remind everyone about the importance of saving water.
The price of water has been set in such a way that a unit of water gets more expensive as the household
uses more water. This has been done so that people would think twice before wasting water.

• Water is important to all life on earth.

• Water is important to humans and plants so that they can carry out life processes.
• Water is a limited resource and needs to be used wisely.
• When pollutants are added to water, the water becomes polluted and unfit for consumption
or other activities.
• We can conserve water by reducing, reusing and recycling.

Taken from Science Partner: A Complete Guide To Upper Block Science

© Singapore Asia Publishers Pte Ltd SAPSCSP5&6_W08
Website: www.sapgrp.com | Facebook: Singapore-Asia-Publishers Page 5/7
 P5/6 science

Water – A Precious Resource

1. Which of the following about water is/are correct?

A. Three quarters of the Earth’s surface is covered with water.
B. Only ten percent of the water on Earth is fresh water.
C. Distillation is a process of extracting water from the seawater.
D. Global warming is causing the amount of stored fresh water to decrease.
(1) A only
(2) A and B only
(3) A and C only
(4) A, C and D only ( )

2. Which one of the following does not help to conserve water at all?
(1) Turn off the shower when soaping.
(2) Water the plants with water that has been used to wash rice.
(3) Conduct campaigns regularly to remind people to conserve water.
(4) Drinking bottled distilled water instead of tapwater. ( )

3. Water is used throughout our body to aid digestion and absorption of food. In which part(s) of the
body is water needed during the two processes?

C
D

(1) A only
(2) A and D only
(3) A, B and C only
(4) A, B, C and E only ( )

Taken from Nail Those MCQs! Primary Science upper Block 5/6
© Singapore Asia Publishers Pte Ltd SAPSCSP5&6_W08
Website: www.sapgrp.com | Facebook: Singapore-Asia-Publishers Page 6/7
 P5/6 science

Water – A Precious Resource

4. The table below shows the results of an experiment where two similar beans are planted in two pots
of the same size. The pots are put under two different conditions.

Pot Temperature Air Water Results

X 26°C Yes Yes Roots and shoot appear.

Y 26°C Yes No Nothing observed.

What can be concluded from the above experiment?
(1) Water, air and warmth are needed for germination to take place.
(2) Only warmth is needed for germination to take place.
(3) The bean used in Pot Y is not fully developed.
(4) The bean in Pot Y has passed its maturity date. ( )

5. Which one of the following rows shows the correct substances that are transported in a plant?

Leaves to roots Roots to leaves

(1) glucose oxygen

(2) glucose water

(3) oxygen glucose

(4) oxygen water

( )

Answers:  1. 4  2. 4  3. 4  4. 1  5. 2

Taken from Nail Those MCQs! Primary Science upper Block 5/6
© Singapore Asia Publishers Pte Ltd SAPSCSP5&6_W08
Website: www.sapgrp.com | Facebook: Singapore-Asia-Publishers Page 7/7