SAMPLE ANSWERS

1. Personal Choices

• Where do you usually get water when you are thirsty?
  • "I usually drink tap water because it is easy to get at home."
  • "I buy bottled water from the supermarket when I’m outside."

• Why do you choose tap water or bottled water?
  • "I choose tap water because it’s cheap and I trust it is clean."
  • "I buy bottled water because I think it is safer when I’m not at home."
• Have you ever compared the taste of tap water and bottled water? Which do you think tastes better?
  • "Yes, I tried both, and I think tap water tastes fresher."
  • "I prefer bottled water because it doesn’t have any taste."

2. Comparing Tap and Bottled Water

• Is bottled water cleaner than tap water? Why or why not?
  • "Sometimes bottled water is cleaner because it is filtered."
  • "Not always, because most bottled water is just tap water."
• Why do you think bottled water costs so much more than tap water?
  • "Because we pay for the bottle and the brand, not just the water."
  • "It’s expensive because they make it look fancy and natural."
• What are people paying for when they buy bottled water?
  • "They pay for the bottle, the brand, and advertising."
  • "They are paying for the packaging and not the water itself."
• If bottled water often comes from taps, why do you think people still buy it?
  • "People buy it because they believe it’s healthier or cleaner."
  • "Many people don’t trust tap water, so they choose bottled water."

• Do you think companies care more about health or profit? Why?
  • • "I think they care more about profit because they sell expensive water."
    • "They care about making money, not about people’s health."
• How do factories contribute to making tap water less clean?
  • "Factories throw dirty water into rivers, which makes tap water polluted."
  • "They create waste that goes into the water we drink."

3. Plastic Bottle Pollution

• What happens to plastic bottles after people drink the water?
  • "The bottles are thrown away and sent to places like India."
  • "Many bottles end up polluting the environment."
• Why do you think plastic bottles from the US end up in India?
  • "Because they send their waste to other countries to get rid of it."
  • "India might recycle them, but it’s not fair for them to handle the trash."
• What could we do to reduce the use of bottled water?
  • "We can carry reusable bottles and drink tap water instead."
  • "We should filter tap water at home instead of buying bottled water."

4. Arsenic in Water

• What do the red and purple colors stand for in the map?
  • "The red color shows areas where the arsenic level in wells is more than 0.05 mg/l."
  • "The purple color shows areas where the arsenic level in wells is between 0.01-0.05 mg/l."
• Which color means more poisonous water in wells?
  • "The red color means more poisonous water because it shows higher levels of arsenic."
• Is there arsenic in the wells around your place?
  • "Yes, there is arsenic in the wells around my area, and the map shows it is in the purple range."
  • "No, the wells around my place are not marked on the map, so there might not be arsenic."
• Which areas have the most poor-quality wells?
  • "The areas with the most poor-quality wells are Bihar, West Bengal, and Assam because they have many red spots."