Rocks and Minerals

Which property can BEST be used to identify a type of mineral?

• Hardness

• Size

• Mass

• Temperature

Casey’s science teacher gave her a sample of copper and silver. What will BEST help her identify which is copper and which is silver?

• color and luster

• where they are found

• type of rock they come from

• temperature

Color is often the first attribute of a mineral that is noticed. Which explains why this property is the most inaccurate method for identifying minerals?

• It depends on the amount of sunlight reflected.

• Clay changes the color.

• It depends on the amount of oxygen the mineral was exposed to.

• Many minerals have the same color.

What is being tested here?

• hardness

• streak color

• weight

• shape

The mineral fluorite has a hardness of 4. Which materials could fluorite scratch?

• a penny and apatite

• apatite and diamond

• diamond and talc

• talc and a penny

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

Where on Earth do rocks melt?

• deep inside the Earth

• on the ocean floor

• in hot, tropical areas

• on sunny temperatures

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

Which is true of all rocks?

• they are all strong

• they are made up of minerals

• they are used to make buildings

• they are easily scratched

A ______ is the same all the way through.

• mountain

• rock

• beach

• mineral

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

Which of these would be LEAST helpful when trying to identify a mineral?

• luster

• hardness

• color

• streak

Which mineral is hardest?

• quartz

• salt

• diamond

• gold