Minerals Vocabulary Terms

Fill in the blank: _______ are pure substances that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary chemical means.

• Element

• Compound

• Mixture

• Solution

Fill in the blank: A _______ is a substance made up of molecules of two or more elements.

• Compound

• Mixture

• Element

• Atom

Fill in the blank: Rohan found a _______ in the science museum, which is a solid geometric form that results from a repeating pattern of atoms or molecules.

• Crystal

• Sphere

• Cube

• Pyramid

Fill in the blank: A _______ is a naturally occurring, usually inorganic solid that has a definite crystalline structure and chemical composition.

• Mineral

• Rock

• Fossil

• Gemstone

Fill in the blank: _______ is the way a surface reflects light (metallic or non-metallic).

• Luster

• Texture

• Color

• Density

Scarlett is conducting a science experiment in her geology class. She observes that the _______ is the color of the powdered form of a mineral.

• Streak

• Luster

• Hardness

• Cleavage

Kai is conducting a science experiment to test different minerals. He wants to find out which mineral has the greatest resistance to being scratched. What property is Kai testing?

• Hardness

• Color

• Luster

• Streak

Benjamin is studying minerals in his geology class. He observes that certain minerals tend to break along flat surfaces. This tendency is known as _______.

• Cleavage

• Fracture

• Luster

• Hardness

Charlotte is conducting an experiment in her science class. She needs to identify a substance that is not made from living things. What is the term for such a substance?

• Inorganic

• Organic

• Biotic

• Abiotic

In a science class, William learned that _______ is the smallest unit of a chemical element that retains its chemical properties.

• Atom

• Compound

• Molecule

• Mixture