Mineral QC Review

Daisy went on a field trip to mine for minerals in Dahlonega. She was so excited that she found real gold-it was yellow and shiny!

Her teacher asked her to prove it was gold by performing a test. She used a ceramic plate and scratched the mineral on the plate. The teacher pointed out that it left a greenish black streak. Daisy was disappointed, because gold leaves a golden yellow streak.

Daisy found pyrite.

What test did Daisy perform to determine if she had found gold?

• color test

• plate test

• streak test

• scratch test

Sirius' teacher passed out a mineral that was white. When he tried to scratch it, he could scratch the mineral with his fingernail! The teacher also told him that this particular mineral is the softest on Moh's Hardness Scale! What mineral did Sirius' teacher give him?

• graphite

• diamond

• dolomite

• talc

Rocky's assignment during science was to list in his notebook 5 properties that can be used to identify a mineral. Rocky could remember a few (hardness, color, and texture), but was blanking on another. What property is Rocky missing?

• brightness

• luster

• taste

• weight

Mineral hardness is rated using the Moh's Hardness Scale with 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest). Which mineral listed in the table could be used to cut all the other minerals?

• talc

• apatite

• corundum

• diamond

Rocky went for a hike and found a material in the rocks of a hill. He hammered off a piece and then examined it with a magnifying glass. He noticed the following:

-it has luster

-the crystals are cubic

-color is clear

What did Rocky likely observe?

• rock

• fossil

• mineral

• bones from something dead

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

You are working with your table group to identify 6 minerals.

First up: a glassy, pink mineral that can scratch glass.

Based on these 3 physical properties, the mineral is MOST LIKELY

• calcite

• mica

• quartz

• feldspar

Minerals are defined as "naturally occurring, inorganic solids that possess an orderly internal structure and a definite chemical composition."

What is another name for this "orderly internal structure"?

• density

• crystal structure

• hardness

• cleavage

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-1

Minerals are non-organic. This means they are...

• non-living

• living

• pure

• impure

Rocky found an object. He is curious if what he found is a mineral. What characteristic would mean it is NOT a mineral?

• The object is solid.

• The object is inorganic.

• The object is naturally occurring.

• The object is man made.

Mrs. Adams presented a mineral to the class. It is a gorgeous pink color and is able to be scratched by quartz. The students also tried to use it to scratch a sample of fluorite and it was able to scratch it. What is the best hypothesis of the mineral Mrs. Adams showed them?

• calcite

• talc

• quartz

• feldspar