JMS Rocks & Minerals Review

Is coal a mineral?

• No because it is a liquid and minerals must be solid.
• No because it is made from organic matter and minerals must be inorganic.
• Yes because it is solid.
• Yes because it has a definite chemical composition. 

A student has found an object that she thinks is a mineral. What question should she first ask in determining if the object is really a mineral?

• Where was the object found?
• Does the object have a crystal structure?
• How many samples of the object were found?
• Can its surface be scratched by a fingernail?

What value is given to the hardest mineral on the Mohs scale?

• 10
• 100
• 1
• 1,000

What mineral property is being shown?

• density
• cleavage
• streak
• fracture

A student is investigating several samples of rock. The student notices that all of the rocks look layered, as if they had been pressed together. What type of rock does this student most likely have?

• sedimentary
• metamorphic
• igneous
• any rock

What is the difference between cleavage and fracture? 

• Cleavage and fracture actually mean the same thing.
• Cleavage describes a mineral breaking along flat, even surfaces; fracture describes a mineral breaking along rough or curved surfaces.
• Cleavage describes a mineral breaking along rough or curved surfaces; fracture describes a mineral breaking along flat, even surfaces. 
• Cleavage refers to the powder a mineral leaves when it is scratched on an unglazed tile; fracture refers to a mineral’s resistance to being scratched.

How can a metamorphic rock become an igneous rock?

• It would have to undergo heat and pressure. 
• It would have to be weathered and eroded.
• It would have to be compacted and cemented.
• It would have to be melted and cooled.

What is the relationship between rocks and minerals?

• Minerals are mainly composed of rocks.
• Rocks are mainly composed of minerals.
• Minerals are weathered pieces of rock.
• Rocks are used to identify minerals. 

Hematite is a mineral that comes in several different colors, ranging from red to black to sparkly gray. They all have a hardness between 5 and 6 on the Mohs hardness scale. If you were trying to find out if a mineral sample is indeed hematite, what is the best property test to perform?

• Rubbing the mineral across a tile to discover what color streak it has.
• Scratching a knife into the mineral to find out its cleavage. 
• Drawing and coloring a picture of the mineral to note its color.
• Putting the mineral on a scale to weigh it.

How could an igneous rock become a metamorphic rock?

• It would have to be melted and cooled.
• It would have to eroded and deposited. 
• It would have to undergo heat and pressure. 
• It would have to dissolve and evaporate.