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NCERT Solutions Curiosity Chapter 11 .2 Water — In-text Questions

Book page 21111 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
How do you feel when you cannot get water to drink, especially when you are thirsty?
Answer

Very uneasy and restless — and the feeling grows quickly.

  • The mouth and throat go dry, and it becomes hard even to speak.
  • You feel weak, tired and irritable, and cannot pay attention to anything else.
  • After a long time without water — headache and giddiness.
  • You can think of nothing but water until you get a glass of it.
Why we feel this way: more than half of our body is water. We keep losing it through sweat, breath and urine, so it has to be replaced. Thirst is the body’s own alarm telling us the water is running low. That alarm is why water is called precious — a person can survive for days without food, but only a few days without water.
Think about it: In summer, many Indian towns keep a pyaau or a matka of drinking water outside shops and temples for passers-by and birds. That old custom exists exactly because everyone knows this feeling.
Q2.
Can you think of some more uses of water in your daily life? Write down your responses in the blank bubble.
Answer

The first bubble already says “We need water for drinking.” Here is what can go in the blank bubbles.

Where water is usedExamples
At homeCooking, washing utensils, washing clothes, bathing, cleaning the floor, flushing the toilet, watering plants
On the farmIrrigating fields, preparing the soil, giving water to cattle
In industryMaking paper, cloth, cement, sugar and steel; cooling machines
For everyoneGenerating electricity in dams, putting out fires, transport by boat, fish farming
Notice the pattern: almost every use except drinking can be done with less water, or with water that has already been used once. That is where saving becomes possible.
Q3.
Where do we get water from? Make a list of the different sources of water.
Answer

Water covers about two-thirds of the Earth’s surface, but most of it cannot be used directly.

Kind of waterSourcesCan we use it?
Saline (salty) waterOceans and seasNo — not fit for domestic, agricultural or industrial use
Frozen freshwaterIce sheets, snow on high mountains and glaciersFreshwater, but difficult to access
Underground freshwaterGroundwater drawn by wells, tube wells and hand pumpsFreshwater, but not easy to reach
Surface freshwaterRivers, streams, lakes, ponds, tanks, springsYes — easily accessible, but only a very small fraction
RainRainwater collected from roofs and open groundYes — the original source that fills all the others
Total water on Earth → mostly salty ocean water
A small part is freshwater → most of it locked in ice and underground
Only a very small fraction in ponds, rivers, lakes and wells is easily available
Why this makes water precious: so much water, yet so little we can actually drink. India is blessed with rivers like the Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada and Mahanadi — and even then many parts of the country face a shortage. That is exactly why Ajji teaches the children to use every drop with care.
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