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Weather instruments & clouds

Match weather instruments and cloud types (cirrus, cumulus, stratus) to what they measure or indicate. Review suitability for your learners before teaching.

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Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 4-6

Weather instruments & clouds

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. Which airport and marina instrument uses a striped fabric cone on a pole to show both wind direction and approximate wind strength: a windsock or a sundial?
Which airport and marina i… · Weather instruments & clouds
2. Which weather instrument measures the relative humidity (water vapour content) of the air: a hygrometer or an anemometer?
Which weather instrument m… · Weather instruments & clouds
3. What causes a rainbow to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on falling raindrops: sunlight is refracted, reflected and dispersed into colours inside the water droplets, or clouds paint the sky?
What causes a rainbow to a… · Weather instruments & clouds
4. Which weather instrument collects falling rain in a graduated cylinder to measure rainfall depth in millimetres (mm): a rain gauge or a wind vane?
Which weather instrument c… · Weather instruments & clouds
5. What tiny water droplets form on cool grass and leaves early in the morning when water vapour condenses on cold surfaces: dew or hail?
What tiny water droplets f… · Weather instruments & clouds
6. On a sunny afternoon at the coast, land heats up faster than the sea, drawing cool air inland from the water. What is this breeze called: a sea breeze or a land breeze?
On a sunny afternoon at th… · Weather instruments & clouds
7. What causes the loud sound of thunder during a thunderstorm: lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave, or clouds bumping together?
What causes the loud sound… · Weather instruments & clouds
8. What hard pellets of ice form inside strong updrafts of a thunderstorm cloud before falling to the ground: hail (hailstones) or mist?
What hard pellets of ice f… · Weather instruments & clouds
9. What scale from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force) is used by sailors and weather observers to estimate wind speed from sea and land conditions: the Beaufort scale or the pH scale?
0 · 12 · Weather instruments & clouds
10. Which weather instrument points into the wind to show the direction (N, S, E, W) from which the wind is blowing: a wind vane (weather vane) or a rain gauge?
Which weather instrument p… · Weather instruments & clouds
11. What are the low, flat, uniform grey cloud layers that cover the whole sky like a blanket and often bring light drizzle: stratus clouds or cirrus clouds?
What are the low, flat, un… · Weather instruments & clouds
12. What are the thin, wispy, feathery high-altitude clouds made of ice crystals in fair weather called: cirrus clouds or cumulonimbus clouds?
What are the thin, wispy, … · Weather instruments & clouds

12 questions · Seed 51 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

View the answer key

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 4-6

Weather instruments & clouds

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. Which airport and marina instrument uses a striped fabric cone on a pole to show both wind direction and approximate wind strength: a windsock or a sundial?
Windsock
A windsock fills and extends horizontally when strong winds blow.
2. Which weather instrument measures the relative humidity (water vapour content) of the air: a hygrometer or an anemometer?
Hygrometer
A hygrometer measures how much moisture is held in the air.
3. What causes a rainbow to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on falling raindrops: sunlight is refracted, reflected and dispersed into colours inside the water droplets, or clouds paint the sky?
Sunlight is refracted, reflected and dispersed into colours inside the water droplets
Each raindrop acts like a tiny prism, splitting white sunlight into a spectrum.
4. Which weather instrument collects falling rain in a graduated cylinder to measure rainfall depth in millimetres (mm): a rain gauge or a wind vane?
Rain gauge
A rain gauge measures the depth of precipitation that falls over a set period.
5. What tiny water droplets form on cool grass and leaves early in the morning when water vapour condenses on cold surfaces: dew or hail?
Dew
When overnight surfaces cool below the dew point, water vapour condenses into liquid dew.
6. On a sunny afternoon at the coast, land heats up faster than the sea, drawing cool air inland from the water. What is this breeze called: a sea breeze or a land breeze?
Sea breeze
Warm air rises over the heated land and cooler air flows in from the sea as a sea breeze.
7. What causes the loud sound of thunder during a thunderstorm: lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave, or clouds bumping together?
Lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave
A lightning bolt heats the surrounding air channel to ~30,000 °C, creating a sonic shock wave (thunder).
8. What hard pellets of ice form inside strong updrafts of a thunderstorm cloud before falling to the ground: hail (hailstones) or mist?
Hail (hailstones)
Hailstones grow as raindrops are carried repeatedly up into freezing layers of a cumulonimbus cloud.
9. What scale from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force) is used by sailors and weather observers to estimate wind speed from sea and land conditions: the Beaufort scale or the pH scale?
Beaufort scale
Admiral Francis Beaufort devised the 0–12 wind force scale based on observable wave and tree motion.
10. Which weather instrument points into the wind to show the direction (N, S, E, W) from which the wind is blowing: a wind vane (weather vane) or a rain gauge?
Wind vane (weather vane)
A wind vane pivots so its arrow points into the oncoming wind.
11. What are the low, flat, uniform grey cloud layers that cover the whole sky like a blanket and often bring light drizzle: stratus clouds or cirrus clouds?
Stratus clouds
Stratus clouds form a low horizontal grey layer across the sky.
12. What are the thin, wispy, feathery high-altitude clouds made of ice crystals in fair weather called: cirrus clouds or cumulonimbus clouds?
Cirrus clouds
Cirrus clouds form high in the troposphere and look like delicate white feathers.

12 questions · Seed 51 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioPractice pack · Ages 4-6

Weather instruments & clouds

Take your time. Show your thinking.

1. Which airport and marina instrument uses a striped fabric cone on a pole to show both wind direction and approximate wind strength: a windsock or a sundial?
Which airport and marina i… · Weather instruments & clouds
2. Which weather instrument measures the relative humidity (water vapour content) of the air: a hygrometer or an anemometer?
Which weather instrument m… · Weather instruments & clouds
3. What causes a rainbow to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on falling raindrops: sunlight is refracted, reflected and dispersed into colours inside the water droplets, or clouds paint the sky?
What causes a rainbow to a… · Weather instruments & clouds
4. Which weather instrument collects falling rain in a graduated cylinder to measure rainfall depth in millimetres (mm): a rain gauge or a wind vane?
Which weather instrument c… · Weather instruments & clouds
5. What tiny water droplets form on cool grass and leaves early in the morning when water vapour condenses on cold surfaces: dew or hail?
What tiny water droplets f… · Weather instruments & clouds
6. On a sunny afternoon at the coast, land heats up faster than the sea, drawing cool air inland from the water. What is this breeze called: a sea breeze or a land breeze?
On a sunny afternoon at th… · Weather instruments & clouds
7. What causes the loud sound of thunder during a thunderstorm: lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave, or clouds bumping together?
What causes the loud sound… · Weather instruments & clouds
8. What hard pellets of ice form inside strong updrafts of a thunderstorm cloud before falling to the ground: hail (hailstones) or mist?
What hard pellets of ice f… · Weather instruments & clouds
9. What scale from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force) is used by sailors and weather observers to estimate wind speed from sea and land conditions: the Beaufort scale or the pH scale?
0 · 12 · Weather instruments & clouds
10. Which weather instrument points into the wind to show the direction (N, S, E, W) from which the wind is blowing: a wind vane (weather vane) or a rain gauge?
Which weather instrument p… · Weather instruments & clouds
11. What are the low, flat, uniform grey cloud layers that cover the whole sky like a blanket and often bring light drizzle: stratus clouds or cirrus clouds?
What are the low, flat, un… · Weather instruments & clouds
12. What are the thin, wispy, feathery high-altitude clouds made of ice crystals in fair weather called: cirrus clouds or cumulonimbus clouds?
What are the thin, wispy, … · Weather instruments & clouds

12 questions · Seed 51 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification

Worksheet StudioAnswer key · Ages 4-6

Weather instruments & clouds

Answers and reasoning. Review before teaching.

1. Which airport and marina instrument uses a striped fabric cone on a pole to show both wind direction and approximate wind strength: a windsock or a sundial?
Windsock
A windsock fills and extends horizontally when strong winds blow.
2. Which weather instrument measures the relative humidity (water vapour content) of the air: a hygrometer or an anemometer?
Hygrometer
A hygrometer measures how much moisture is held in the air.
3. What causes a rainbow to appear in the sky when the Sun shines on falling raindrops: sunlight is refracted, reflected and dispersed into colours inside the water droplets, or clouds paint the sky?
Sunlight is refracted, reflected and dispersed into colours inside the water droplets
Each raindrop acts like a tiny prism, splitting white sunlight into a spectrum.
4. Which weather instrument collects falling rain in a graduated cylinder to measure rainfall depth in millimetres (mm): a rain gauge or a wind vane?
Rain gauge
A rain gauge measures the depth of precipitation that falls over a set period.
5. What tiny water droplets form on cool grass and leaves early in the morning when water vapour condenses on cold surfaces: dew or hail?
Dew
When overnight surfaces cool below the dew point, water vapour condenses into liquid dew.
6. On a sunny afternoon at the coast, land heats up faster than the sea, drawing cool air inland from the water. What is this breeze called: a sea breeze or a land breeze?
Sea breeze
Warm air rises over the heated land and cooler air flows in from the sea as a sea breeze.
7. What causes the loud sound of thunder during a thunderstorm: lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave, or clouds bumping together?
Lightning rapidly heats the air, causing it to expand explosively as a shock wave
A lightning bolt heats the surrounding air channel to ~30,000 °C, creating a sonic shock wave (thunder).
8. What hard pellets of ice form inside strong updrafts of a thunderstorm cloud before falling to the ground: hail (hailstones) or mist?
Hail (hailstones)
Hailstones grow as raindrops are carried repeatedly up into freezing layers of a cumulonimbus cloud.
9. What scale from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force) is used by sailors and weather observers to estimate wind speed from sea and land conditions: the Beaufort scale or the pH scale?
Beaufort scale
Admiral Francis Beaufort devised the 0–12 wind force scale based on observable wave and tree motion.
10. Which weather instrument points into the wind to show the direction (N, S, E, W) from which the wind is blowing: a wind vane (weather vane) or a rain gauge?
Wind vane (weather vane)
A wind vane pivots so its arrow points into the oncoming wind.
11. What are the low, flat, uniform grey cloud layers that cover the whole sky like a blanket and often bring light drizzle: stratus clouds or cirrus clouds?
Stratus clouds
Stratus clouds form a low horizontal grey layer across the sky.
12. What are the thin, wispy, feathery high-altitude clouds made of ice crystals in fair weather called: cirrus clouds or cumulonimbus clouds?
Cirrus clouds
Cirrus clouds form high in the troposphere and look like delicate white feathers.

12 questions · Seed 51 · Age guidance, not curriculum certification