Minerals Practice Quiz

Which of the following is not a requirement for something being a mineral?

• Inorganic

• Can be solid or liquid

• Must be naturally occuring

• Grows into an orderly atomic arrangment....crystals

The most common mineral on Earth is..

• calcite

• diamond

• feldspar

• quartz

Color is an excellent way to identify minerals.

• True

• False

Why is plastic not considered a mineral?

• It is organic

• It does not occur naturally on Earth

• It is solid

• It has physical processes.

What property does this mineral show?

• cleavage

• fracture

• streak

• luster

A student has an unidentified mineral. The student wants to identify the mineral using information from Moh's hardness scale. The student has a mineral identification kit that includes a copper coin, a glass plate, and a steel file. Based on these hardness values, which result could identify the mineral as apatite?

• The mineral can be scratched by a fingernail

• The mineral can be scratched by a glass plate, but not a copper coin

• The mineral can be scratched by a steel file, but not a glass plate

• The mineral can be scratched by both a copper coin and a glass plate

• Graphite

• Talc

• Orthoclase

• Calcite

The way a mineral reflects light, or the shine of a mineral, is know as...

• Opacity

• Transparency

• Luster

• Streak

Most diamonds are not used in jewelry. Their main use is in...

• sheet rock

• cell phones

• concrete

• cutting and grinding tools

What mineral is an important part of our diet?

• halite

• feldspar

• sulfur

• calcite