Minerals

Which of the following would be the best description of the mineral property called luster?

• A minerals resistance to being scratched.

• The color a mineral gives off.

• How a mineral reflects light.

• Observing the color of the powder left behind when scraping across a surface.

In the lab, a student wants to identify two different minerals. So, she takes them and scrapes them across a plate to see the color of the powder they leave behind. What property of minerals is she testing?

• Color   

• Hardness

• Luster

• Streak

A measure of a mineral's resistance to scratching. This is measured by scratching it against another substance of known hardness on the Mohs Hardness Scale.

• Color     

• Hardness

• Luster

• Streak

Which statement is the best example of the mineral property of cleavage?  

• The mineral broke and had jagged edges.     

• The mineral broke and had flat edges.

•   Minerals never break

• All are correct

The breaking of a mineral unevenly in many directions is called

• fracture

• cleavage

• structure

• luster

This characteristic of a mineral can be determined by how easily it can scratch other minerals

• streak

• luster

• hardness

• structure

One way to identify a mineral is to look at the color of the mark left by the mineral when it is rubbed on a harder surface

• streak

• luster

• hardness

• crystal structure

Some minerals can break apart along smooth, straight lines or into flat sheets

• fracture

• hardness

• cleavage

• luster

Some minerals reflect very little light, but other minerals sparkle under light

• fracture

• luster

• hardness

• crystal structure

The hardest mineral is the ______________.

• Diamond
• Corundum
• Topaz
• Calcite