Quiz on Minerals and Their Properties

While exploring a cave, Luna discovered a yellowish mineral that resembled gold and was commonly referred to as fool’s gold. What is the property of mineral exhibited by pyrite wherein it reflects light and has a metallic look?

• Color

• Hardness

• Luster

• Streak

While hiking in the mountains, Oliver found a piece of quartz that had broken in an unusual way, not along its natural planes of cleavage. What is the property of the mineral that shows this characteristic?

• Cleavage

• Fracture

• Hardness

• Streak

In a geology class, Zoe is demonstrating how some minerals like mica have surfaces with planes of weak bonds in their crystals. She shows her classmates how the crystals can be peeled like layers of an onion. What is the property exhibited by mica?

• Cleavage

• Fracture

• Hardness

• Tenacity

Ethan is exploring a cave filled with various minerals. He wants to know which mineral is the most resistant to scratching while he collects samples. Which property should he consider?

• Cleavage

• Fracture

• Hardness

Nora is studying the Earth's structure in her geology class. She learns that the building blocks of rocks, which are mostly found in the geosphere, are essential for understanding the planet's composition. What are these building blocks?

• elements

• minerals

• ore

• soil

Sophia is exploring a mineral exhibit at the museum and notices that the mineral hematite, in its powdered form, appears reddish. Which mineral property is she observing?

• color

• luster

• streak

• hardness

During a geology field trip, Olivia is trying to identify various minerals she finds in the rocks. She knows that certain properties can help her distinguish between them. However, she comes across a mineral that she realizes does not fit the criteria she learned. Which is not a property that can be used to identify a mineral?

• luster

• streak

• hardness

• Opaque

Mia is exploring a cave filled with various minerals. She notices that some minerals shine brightly when light hits their surface. What is the property of these minerals that reflects light on its surface?

• Crystal structure

• color

• streak

• luster

While hiking in the mountains, Oliver discovered a shiny, hard object embedded in the ground. Curious about his find, he wondered what term refers to a naturally occurring, inorganic solid that has a definite crystalline structure and chemical composition?

• compound

• crystal

• mineral

• rocks

During the 1800’s, miners can identify real gold from pyrite through biting the surface of the mineral. If a bite mark is exhibited, then the said mineral is considered real gold. What property is tested in this scenario?

• cleavage

• hardness

• luster

• streak color