Important Questions for Class 9 Science

Chapter 1 – Matter in Our Surroundings

Very Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following are matter?

Chair, air, love, smell, hate, almonds, thought, cold, cold drink, smell of

perfume.

Ans: As we can define matter as any ‘physical substance’, hence almonds,

air,chair, smell of perfume, cold drink and smell can be considered as matter.

2. Convert the following temperature to Celsius scale:

i) The temperature is 300 K.

Ans: When we use: K = 273o + C

C = K - 273

= 300 - 273

= 27 C0

ii) The temperature is 573 K

Ans: When we use:

K = 273 + C

C = 573 - 273

= 300 C

3. What is the physical state of water at:

(a) A temperature of 250 C0

Ans: The boiling point of water is 100 C0 , hence the physical state of water at 250 C0 will be gaseous,

4. For any substance, why does the temperature remain constant during the

change of state?

Ans: The reason behind the temperature of substance or matter remaining

constant during change of state is that during the change of state all of the heat or

energy provided to particles of matter is utilized to take the particles of matter

apart from each other.

5. Suggest a method to liquefy atmospheric gases.

Ans: One method to liquefy atmospheric gases is to decrease the temperature and

increase the pressure.

attraction between the particles— water, sugar, oxygen.

Ans: The order of increasing forces of attraction between the particles is as

follows:

Oxygen< water< sugar.

Short Answer Questions 2 Marks

1. Give reasons for the following observation:

The smell of hot sizzling food reaches you several meters away, but to get the

smell from cold food you have to go close.

Ans: When it is higher temperature the diffusion rate (movement) of particles

will be very fast when compared to the diffusion rate of particles at lower

temperature and since the temperature of hot sizzling food is higher than cold

food, the smell of hot sizzling food will be reaching us from several meters away.

2. The mass per unit volume of a substance is called density.

(density = mass/volume).

Arrange the following in order of increasing density – air, exhaust from

chimneys, honey, water, chalk, cotton and iron.

Ans: The correct order of increasing densities of the substances is as follows:

Air < exhaust from chimneys< cotton< water< honey< chalk< iron.

3. Liquids generally have lower density as compared to solids. But you must

have observed that ice floats on water. Find out why.

Ans: Ice floats on water since there is a large empty space inside the 3D structure

of ice due to which it becomes less in weight as compared to water and can float

on water.

4. Why does a desert cooler cool better on a hot dry day?

Ans: In a desert cooler, when hot air enters through the straw mates it evaporates

the water at a fast rate because the rate of evaporation is faster on a hot dry day.

And because of the faster evaporation rate it cools the air more conveniently than

on a dry hot day.

5. How does the water kept in an earthen pot (matka) become cool during

summer?
Ans: Evaporation happens through the small pores on it causing a cooling effect, in an earthen pot.
Therefore water kept in an earthen pot becomes cool during

summer because of continuous evaporation.

6. Why does our palm feel cold when we put some acetone or petrol or

perfume on it?

Ans: As perfume, petrol and perfume are volatile liquids, if put on our palm they

will be absorbing heat from our palm and cause cooling.

7. Why are we able to sip hot tea or milk faster from a saucer rather than a

cup?

Ans: When we use a saucer instead of a cup the surface for evaporation to occur

will be increased resulting in faster evaporation of particles of tea or milk and

allowing it to cool faster and taking a sip becomes easier.

8. What type of clothes should we wear in summer?

Ans: We must wear the type of clothes which allow easy evaporation since

evaporation causes cooling. And as the cotton absorbs sweat well and allows easy

evaporation, we must prefer wearing cotton clothes in summer,

10. Give reason for the following observations.

a) Naphthalene balls disappear with time without leaving any solid.

Ans: Sublimation can be defined as the conversion between the solid and the

gaseous phases of matter, with no intermediate liquid stage. Naphthalene balls

will be having the property of sublimation because of which they directly vary

from solid to gaseous state without a conversion into liquid. Hence, naphthalene

balls will be vanishing with time leaving no solid.

b)We can get the smell of perfume sitting several metres away.

Ans: Volatile substances such as perfumes change from liquid state to gaseous

state very fast which allows them to diffuse and mix up with the air particles to

reach our nostrils. Therefore we get the smell of perfume sitting several metres

away.

Long Answer Questions 3 Marks

1. A diver is able to cut through water in a swimming pool. Which property

of matter does this observation show?

is representing that the particles of water will be held together by weak forces of

attraction between them and when any external force is applied the particles can

be separated.

2. What are the characteristics of the particles of matter?

Ans: The particles of matter have the following characteristics:

i. The particles of matter are in continuous motion.

ii. There are gaps between the particles of matter.

iii. There is a force of attraction between the particles of matter which keeps

them together.

3. Give reasons

(a) A gas fills completely the vessel in which it is kept.

Ans: The particles of gas have negligible attraction force between them because

of which the particles move freely in all directions filling the whole container the

gas is kept in.

(b) A gas exerts pressure on the walls of the container.

Ans: The particles of gas move freely due to which they collide with the container

walls continuously and randomly. Therefore the collision of particles on the

container walls exerts pressure on the walls.