Minerals Test Review

Emily breaks a piece off a mineral sample. What property is she trying to find out about the mineral?

• Luster

• Streak

• Fracture/Cleavage

• Color

Terry rubs a soft mineral and a hard mineral together. What will probably happen when they are rubbed against each other?

• The harder mineral will scratch the softer mineral.

• The minerals will not scratch each other.

• Both minerals will scratch the floor.

• The softer mineral will scratch the harder mineral.

Why are hardness, luster, and cleavage better for identifying minerals than color?

• Hardness, luster, and cleavage are properties that don’t change, but color can be different.

• Color is the only property you can see without tools, so it is always right.

• Cleavage is only for gemstones, not regular minerals.

• Luster is less useful than color because it changes in the light.

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Two minerals look shiny and have the same color. What is the BEST way to find out if they are really the same mineral?

• Only look at their crystal shapes

• Test their hardness and streak

• See how shiny they are under a light

• Ask if they come from the same place

A student tests a mineral and finds that it scratches glass, leaves a white streak, and has a hardness of about 7. The student thinks it is diamond. Which answer BEST explains if this is correct?

• Yes, because diamond and quartz are both very hard minerals.

• No, because streak is never used to identify minerals.

• Yes, because quartz and diamond are the same mineral.

• No, because only quartz has a hardness of 7; diamond is much harder.

How does where a mineral forms affect how big its crystals are?

• If a mineral cools quickly, its crystals are smaller. If it cools slowly, its crystals are bigger.

• Minerals that cool slowly always break in a certain way.

• The size of crystals is random and does not depend on how fast it cools.

• Only minerals that look shiny have big crystals.

Why isn't coal considered a mineral?

• Coal does not exist naturally on Earth, while minerals must be naturally occurring.

• Coal is always shiny, and minerals cannot be shiny.

• Coal is made from dead plants, and minerals must be made from things that are not alive.

• Coal is too soft, and minerals must be harder than glass.

Why do scientists say minerals have a “definite chemical composition”?

• Each mineral has the same elements in the same ratio.

• Minerals are always made of many different chemicals.

• Minerals can change their formula depending on location.

• Minerals do not contain any elements.

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What makes minerals change during metamorphism?

• Weathering from wind and rain

• Lava cooling on the surface

• Heat and pressure deep inside Earth

• Melting and evaporating

What happens to minerals when magma or lava cools down?

• They melt into liquids.

• They form solid mineral grains.

• They turn into gases.

• They dissolve in water.