According to the passage about ice and water, why does ice float?

Read the passage: Most substances become denser when they change from liquid to solid, so their solid form sinks. Water is an important exception. As water freezes, its molecules arrange themselves into an open, six-sided pattern that takes up more space than liquid water does. Ice is therefore less dense than water and floats on top of it. This unusual behaviour matters enormously for life. In winter, lakes and ponds freeze from the surface downwards, and the layer of ice acts like a blanket, slowing further heat loss from the water beneath. Liquid water at the bottom, which is at its densest at about four degrees Celsius, allows fish and other creatures to survive until spring.

1. A Option A: It is heavier than water but is held up by the wind.
2. B Option B: Warmer water at the bottom of lakes pushes it upwards.
3. C Option C: Its molecules form an open pattern that makes it less dense than liquid water.
4. D Option D: It contains bubbles of air trapped from the atmosphere.

Answer checked 11 October 2026 · How we write and check questions