Exploring Rocks and Minerals

Rocks and minerals come in many ______.

• shapes

• sizes

• colors

• weights

Which question can YOU answer by looking at this rock?

• What is the texture of this rock?

• Is this rock heavy?

Some rocks and minerals are very soft and can be ______ easily.

• Broken

• Scratched

• Melted

• Shaped

Which rock is the hardest according to the table?

• Talc

• Diamond

• Gypsum

• Quartz

Which rock can scratch all the rocks below it?

• Gypsum

• Calcite

• Diamond

• Fluorite

Fill in the blank: _______ is the second hardest rock.

• Topaz

• Corundum

• Quartz

• Orthoclase

Which rock is softer than Quartz but harder than Fluorite?

• Orthoclase

• Apatite

• Calcite

• Gypsum

Which mineral is softer than Calcite but harder than Talc?

• Gypsum

• Fluorite

• Apatite

• Orthoclase

Which mineral has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale?

• Quartz

• Orthoclase

• Apatite

• Topaz

Fill in the blank: The hardest mineral is ____.

• A) Diamond

• B) Corundum

• C) Topaz

• D) Quartz