Rocks and Minerals (Mrs. Carroll)

Although brick, steel, and glass all come from substances found in Earth’s crust, they are not classified as minerals. Why are they NOT classified as minerals?

• They are not classified as minerals because they are organic.

• They are not classified as minerals because they are too hard.

• They are not classified as minerals because they have many uses

• They are not classified as minerals because they are not naturally occurring.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-3

Stacey’s teacher gave the class a mixture of rocks and minerals to observe. The class was asked to construct an explanation of why the object of their choosing cannot be considered a mineral. Which statement best explains why coal is not considered a mineral?

• Coal is not a mineral because it comes from organic materials and does not have a crystalline structure.

• Coal is not a mineral because it is inorganic and it is not naturally occurring

• Coal is not a mineral because it is inorganic and it is naturally occurring.

• Coal is not a mineral because it comes from organic materials and has a crystalline structure.

Ashley’s teacher gave the class a mixture of rocks and minerals to observe. The class was asked to construct an explanation of why the object they selected is considered a mineral. Which statement best explains why Quartz is not considered a rock?

• Quartz is not a mineral because it comes from organic materials and does not have a crystalline structure.

• Quartz is a mineral because it is inorganic and has a crystalline structure.

• Quartz is not a mineral because it is inorganic and it is has a crystalline structure

• Quartz is a mineral because it comes from organic materials and does not have a crystalline structure.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

Which of these choices best explains the differences between rocks and minerals?

• A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid and a rocks only contain one specific mineral.

• A mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical composition formed by natural processes and rock is made of different minerals

• A mineral is a naturally occurring organic liquid and a rock is an aggregate of more than one mineral.

• A mineral is a naturally occurring organic solid with an indefinite chemical composition and a rock is an aggregate of one mineral and has no organic remains.

If you have Mineral A with a hardness of 3 and Mineral B with a hardness of 7, which would you use in building materials?

• mineral A because it is softer

• mineral A because it is harder

• mineral B because it is softer

• mineral B because it is harder

Minerals that break along smooth, flat surfaces have...

• Cleavage

• Fracture

• Hardness

• Luster

You rub a mineral on an unglazed porcelain tile and notice that it leaves a colored line. This is the true color of the mineral in powder form. Which mineral property is observed in this situation?

• Color

• Luster

• Streak

• Scratch

Students in Earth science were conducting an investigation to collect data on the characteristics of minerals. The diagram below shows three minerals undergoing physical

tests, A, B, and C.

• Test A-cleavage; Test B-streak; Test C–hardness→ most useful for determining the type of mineral

• Test A-cleavage; Test B-hardness; Test C–streak → most useful for determining the rate of weathering

• Test A-streak; Test B-cleavage; Test C-hardness → most useful for determining the type of mineral

• Test A-streak; Test B-hardness; Test C-cleavage → most useful for determining the rate of weathering

How do minerals contribute to rock composition?

• Rocks are defined by mass and density.

• Rocks are defined by mineral composition and texture

• Rocks are defined by hardness and streak

• Rocks are defined by color and size.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-1

Trickum Middle School 6th grade students are taking a field trip to the Chattanooga river in order to take water samples. Students noticed that their samples taken from three different locations of the river, the rocks were the same, but the minerals within the rocks were different. Which of the following statements best proposes a way for students to plan and carry out an investigation that can determine the type of mineral that contributed to the formation of rocks?

• Students can set up various tests to observe the different properties of the mineral because all minerals have the same properties

• Students can observe color to identify the mineral because color can easily be used to determine a mineral’s identity.

• Students can set up various tests to observe the different properties of the minerals because minerals have different properties.

• Students can observe color to identify the mineral because color is one of the properties of minerals.