Ch 2 Earth's Minerals

Multiple Choice

Why are minerals considered valuable resources in our daily lives?

• Because they are rare and expensive

• Because they are used in jewelry only

• Because they are valuable resources for almost every aspect of our lives, including telling the history of Earth

• Because they are only found in rocks

Open Ended

How does understanding the basic chemistry concepts of atoms, elements, ions, and molecules help us learn about minerals and their properties?

Multiple Choice

Which subatomic particle determines what element an atom is?

• Proton

• Neutron

• Electron

• Photon

Open Ended

Explain the difference between ionic, covalent, and hydrogen bonds, and provide an example of each type from everyday life.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blank: An atom that has gained or lost one or more electrons is called an

.

Open Ended

Why is glass not considered a mineral, even though it is made from minerals?

Multiple Select

Which of the following are characteristics that all minerals share?

• They are inorganic

• They have a crystalline structure

• They are made by natural processes

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is the basic building block for all silicate minerals?

• Silica tetrahedron

• Carbonate ion

• Phosphate tetrahedron

• Halide ion

Multiple Select

Which of the following statements about silicate minerals are correct?

• They make up over 90% of Earth's crust.

• Their basic building block is the silica tetrahedron.

• They are the only minerals that contain oxygen.

• Feldspar and quartz are common examples.

Fill in the Blanks

The most common carbonate mineral is

.

Multiple Select

Which of the following minerals are examples of native elements?

• Gold

• Diamond

• Calcite

• Sulfur

Multiple Choice

Which mineral group contains sulfur atoms bonded to oxygen atoms and forms when salt water evaporates?

• Sulfates

• Sulfides

• Oxides

• Halides

Multiple Choice

Which of the following physical properties is usually less reliable for mineral identification than others?

• Color

• Hardness

• Luster

• Streak

Open Ended

Explain why color alone is not a reliable property for identifying minerals, using examples from the images provided.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following statements about streak is correct?

• Streak is the color of a mineral’s powder and is more reliable than color.

• Streak is the same as the mineral's surface color.

• All minerals have a streak.

• Streak varies depending on the mineral's size.

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blank: The color of a mineral’s powder is called its

.

Multiple Select

Select all the correct statements about specific gravity and density.

• Density is mass divided by volume.

• Gold is denser than pyrite.

• Quartz has a higher density than gold.

• Specific gravity compares a substance's density to that of water.

Multiple Select

Which of the following minerals have a hardness less than 5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale?

• Gypsum

• Calcite

• Apatite

• Quartz

Multiple Choice

Which mineral is the hardest according to the Mohs Hardness Scale?

• Quartz

• Diamond

• Corundum

• Topaz

Fill in the Blanks

Cleavage is the tendency of a mineral to break along certain planes to make

surfaces.

Open Ended

Describe the difference between cleavage and fracture in minerals, and give an example of each from the images.

Multiple Choice

Which property would allow you to instantly identify halite among other minerals?

• Fluorescence

• Magnetism

• Taste

• Smell

Open Ended

After learning about Earth's minerals and the basics of matter, what questions do you still have about how minerals form or their properties?

Multiple Choice

What is the smallest unit of a chemical element that retains all the properties of that element?

• Molecule

• Atom

• Ion

• Nucleus