NCERT Solutions for Class 5th The World Around Us Chapter 1 Fill the ‘I Observe’ column — Observing Changes
Book page 6 Updated on2026-09-19
Q1.
Observing Changes — Activity: Ice melting. Write what you observe.
Answer
I observe: The ice slowly loses its shape and turns into liquid water. The pieces become smaller and rounder, water collects below them, and in the end there is no ice left — only cool water. The outside of the vessel becomes wet with tiny drops.
Ice (solid) → Water (liquid) — this is called melting
Why it happens: The air in the room is warmer than the ice. Heat moves from the warm air into the cold ice. That heat breaks the ice out of its hard, fixed shape, and it flows as liquid water.
Check it yourself: Mark the level of the water when all the ice has melted. Freeze it again and you get ice back. Nothing is lost — only the form changes.
Q2.
Observing Changes — Activity: Water boiling. Write what you observe.
Answer
I observe: Bubbles form at the bottom of the pan and rise to the top. The water moves about and makes a sound. White steam rises above the pan. If the pan is left on the flame, the water level slowly drops.
Water (liquid) → Water vapour (gas) — this is called evaporation
Why it happens: Heat from the flame gives the water enough energy to escape into the air as an invisible gas. The bubbles are vapour forming inside the water itself. A little above the pan the vapour meets cooler air, turns into very tiny drops, and that is the white steam we can see.
Do this with an adult: Hold a dry steel plate high above the steam for a few seconds. Drops appear on it. The vapour has become water again.
Q3.
Observing Changes — Activity: Water in sunlight for three days. Write what you observe.
Answer
I observe: The water level in the glass goes down a little every day. By the third day a clear part of the glass is empty. Nothing has spilled and nothing has leaked — the water has gone into the air.
How to do it neatly:
Fill a glass with water and mark the level with a marker or a strip of tape.
Keep it in a sunny place where it will not be disturbed.
Mark the level again at the same time each day for three days.
Day
What I see
Sample water level
Day 1 (start)
Glass filled to the mark
200 ml
Day 2
Level a little below the mark
about 185 ml
Day 3
Level lower still
about 170 ml
The exact amounts will be different in your glass. A hot, dry, windy day takes more water away than a cool, cloudy day.
Why it happens: Water does not need to boil to become vapour. The Sun's heat is enough. Bit by bit, water from the top surface leaves as vapour and mixes into the air. This slow change is evaporation. It is the very first step of the water cycle.
Compare the three rows: Melting needed a little heat. Boiling needed a lot of heat and was fast. Sunlight needed only gentle heat but took three days. The change is the same — only the speed is different.