Quiz about Minerals/Rocks Test Review

Question 1

Rocks and sediment are part of which component of the Earth System?

Accepted Answer

geosphere

Answer

hydrosphere

Answer

biosphere

Answer

atmosphere

Question 2

Continental lithosphere __________.

Accepted Answer

is thicker than oceanic lithosphere

Answer

contains more mafic rocks than oceanic lithosphere

Answer

is denser than oceanic lithosphere

Answer

and oceanic lithosphere have similar compositions, densities, and thicknesses

Question 3

Fewer than 50 minerals are __________.

Accepted Answer

commonly found in rocks

Answer

found on the Earth

Answer

used for industrial purposes

Answer

found in the crust

Question 4

Which of the following would be considered a rock?

Accepted Answer

a chunk of obsidian

Answer

a manufactured clay brick

Answer

a pile of sand

Answer

an abalone shell

Question 5

How would you tell if a rock is crystalline?

Accepted Answer

It contains interlocking crystals.

Answer

It contains crystals that have been cemented together.

Answer

It does not contain crystals at all.

Answer

It contains all one type of crystal.

Question 6

What is the difference between a rock that is cemented together and a rock that has a crystalline texture?

Accepted Answer

Minerals are held together as interlocking pieces in a crystalline rock, whereas in a cemented rock the grains do not fit together like puzzle pieces and instead are held together by cement.

Answer

A rock that is cemented contains rounded grains held by cement, whereas a crystalline rock contains angular grains held by cement.

Answer

Crystalline rocks contain minerals, while cemented rocks contain rock fragments, both held together by static forces between grains.

Answer

Minerals are held together as interlocking pieces in a crystalline rock, whereas grains are held together by minerals precipitated in pore spaces in a cemented rock.

Question 7

Imagine you are holding a rock composed of sand grains cemented together. What subclassification of rock is this?

Accepted Answer

sedimentary

Answer

metamorphic

Answer

crystalline

Answer

igneous

Question 8

What type of rock forms from the freezing (solidification) of a molten rock?

Accepted Answer

igneous

Answer

metamorphic

Answer

crystalline

Answer

sedimentary

Question 9

Which type of rock is formed by precipitation of minerals from a solution?

Accepted Answer

sedimentary

Answer

metamorphic

Answer

glassy

Answer

igneous

Question 10

If a rock is subjected to elevated levels of heat and pressure, a(n) __________ rock will form.

Accepted Answer

metamorphic

Answer

igneous

Answer

molten

Answer

sedimentary

Question 11

Composition describes the __________.

Accepted Answer

proportion of chemicals that make up a rock

Answer

degree of compaction and cementation in a rock

Answer

arrangement of minerals in a rock

Answer

presence of layers in a rock

Question 12

Which of the following is a reliable characteristic that can be used to classify a rock?

Accepted Answer

texture

Answer

mineral stability

Answer

water content

Answer

degree of weathering

Question 13

Refer to the photo of a banded rock with light and dark wavy layers. What do geologists call the layering seen in this photo?

Accepted Answer

metamorphic foliation

Answer

tilted bedding

Answer

sedimentary layers

Answer

cleavage planes

Question 14

In the photo showing fresh solidified lava forming a crust while still molten beneath, what type of rock is being formed?

Accepted Answer

igneous

Answer

sedimentary

Answer

metamorphic

Answer

foliated

Question 15

Granite forms deep underground from magma that cools very slowly. What type of rock is granite?

Accepted Answer

igneous

Answer

sedimentary

Answer

metamorphic

Answer

biologic

Question 16

What type of rock would you expect to form from volcanic activity?

Accepted Answer

igneous

Answer

sedimentary

Answer

biologic

Answer

metamorphic

Question 17

The photo shows a cliff with distinct horizontal layers of rock and a person standing at the base. What type of rock is most consistent with the layered appearance?

Accepted Answer

sedimentary

Answer

igneous

Answer

metamorphic

Answer

crystalline

Question 18

Which rock type would you most expect to form in a beach environment characterized by deposition of sand and shells?

Accepted Answer

sedimentary

Answer

crystalline

Answer

metamorphic

Answer

igneous

Question 19

Which statement best explains how a metamorphic rock forms?

Accepted Answer

recrystallization due to changes in pressure and temperature

Answer

freezing (solidification) from a molten material

Answer

solidification of pieces of weathered, preexisting rocks

Answer

fast (instant) cooling of a molten material

Question 20

The photo shows a rock with pronounced foliation and a rock hammer for scale. What type of rock is shown?

Accepted Answer

metamorphic

Answer

clastic

Answer

sedimentary

Answer

igneous

Question 21

In which setting are sedimentary rocks most likely forming due to accumulation of sediments?

Accepted Answer

at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea

Answer

deep within a mountain range

Answer

inside a lava flow on Hawaii

Answer

at a mid-ocean ridge

Question 22

A thin-section photomicrograph shows interlocking mineral grains with crystalline textures. What type of texture is most evident?

Accepted Answer

crystalline

Answer

foliation

Answer

sedimentary

Answer

clastic

Question 23

What can geologists most easily determine by analyzing a thin section of a rock?

Accepted Answer

what minerals constitute the rock and how grains connect to one another

Answer

whether the rock is molten

Answer

what chemical constituents make up the rock

Answer

the arrangement of atoms

Question 24

Which instrument is used to examine the surface of a rock chip at extremely high magnification to observe fine-scale textures?

Accepted Answer

scanning electron microscope

Answer

mass spectrometer

Answer

petrographic microscope

Answer

X-ray diffractometer

Question 25

Why is a piece of concrete not considered a rock? Choose the best explanation.

Accepted Answer

It is a human-made material composed of cement and aggregates, not a naturally occurring solid aggregate.

Answer

It contains minerals so it must be a rock.

Answer

It forms naturally from magma.

Answer

It lacks any crystalline components.

Question 26

Which statement correctly identifies the three major rock groups and how each forms?

Accepted Answer

Igneous from crystallized melt; sedimentary from deposited and lithified sediments; metamorphic from alteration of existing rock by heat and pressure.

Answer

Igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic; all form by cooling of magma.

Answer

Igneous from deposition of sand; sedimentary from heat and pressure; metamorphic from melting and cooling.

Answer

Sedimentary, clastic, foliated; each forms by recrystallization.

Question 27

Igneous rocks are formed primarily by which process?

Accepted Answer

through the freezing or crystallization of a melt

Answer

by changing existing rock through the application of heat and pressure

Answer

by depositing loose material into layers

Answer

by condensation from vapors enriched in mineral-forming components

Question 28

What is the difference between magma and lava?

Accepted Answer

magma is melt underground, whereas lava is melt that has emerged from the surface

Answer

magma cools more rapidly than lava

Answer

magma is found at the surface, whereas lava is found below the surface

Answer

There is no difference; the two terms mean the same thing.

Question 29

The most common minerals within the Earth are __________.

Accepted Answer

silicates

Answer

carbonates

Answer

oxides

Answer

hydroxides

Question 30

What is the difference between a mineral and a glass?

Accepted Answer

Minerals are crystalline; glass is noncrystalline.

Answer

Minerals are synthetic; glass is always natural.

Answer

Minerals must be metallic; glass must be nonmetallic.

Answer

Minerals are liquids; glass is solid.

Question 31

When a solution becomes oversaturated, new solid particles are said to __________.

Accepted Answer

precipitate

Answer

dissolve

Answer

react and produce heat

Answer

rapidly expand

Question 32

Which choice lists atoms and atomic components in order from smallest to largest?

Accepted Answer

electron, proton, nucleus, atom

Answer

atom, nucleus, proton, electron

Answer

proton, electron, nucleus, atom

Answer

atom, electron, nucleus, proton

Question 33

The atomic mass of an element approximately equals the number of __________.

Accepted Answer

protons plus neutrons

Answer

electrons

Answer

neutrons

Answer

protons

Question 34

Minerals are all naturally occurring solid substances with a definable chemical composition. They must also possess __________.

Accepted Answer

a fixed crystalline structure (periodic arrangement of atoms and ions)

Answer

the ability to be synthesized in the laboratory as well as be found in nature

Answer

metallic elements, such as iron, calcium, or magnesium

Answer

metallic luster

Question 35

Crystals that exhibit well-formed faces are referred to as __________.

Accepted Answer

euhedral

Answer

pristine

Answer

anhedral

Answer

subhedral

Question 36

In which of the following ways can minerals crystallize?

Accepted Answer

solidification of a melt (lava/magma)

Answer

bonding carbon to oxygen atoms to form organic compounds

Answer

gradual liquefaction through superheating

Answer

instant solidification to form glass

Question 37

The pattern of atoms in a crystal can be detected using __________.

Accepted Answer

X-ray diffraction

Answer

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Answer

thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS)

Answer

cathodized axial tomography (CAT)

Question 38

Diamond and graphite are both polymorphs of __________.

Accepted Answer

carbon

Answer

silicon

Answer

iron

Answer

magnesium

Question 39

Which of the following minerals is more commonly known as table salt?

Accepted Answer

halite

Answer

gypsum

Answer

feldspar

Answer

quartz

Question 40

Which of the following common minerals is softest?

Accepted Answer

talc

Answer

quartz

Answer

calcite

Answer

fluorite

Question 41

The color of a mineral in powdered form is termed __________.

Accepted Answer

streak

Answer

color

Answer

specific gravity

Answer

luster

Question 42

The tendency for minerals to break along distinct planar surfaces that have a specific orientation in relation to the crystal structure is called __________.

Accepted Answer

cleavage

Answer

fracture

Answer

specific gravity

Answer

hardness

Question 43

The image shows a mineral specimen of pyrite. What is the term for the thin parallel corrugations or stripes shown on its crystal faces?

Accepted Answer

striations

Answer

conchoidal fractures

Answer

facets

Answer

cleavage planes

Question 44

The image shows a mineral specimen of quartz. What is the term for the smoothly curving, clamshell-shaped surface on the sample?

Accepted Answer

conchoidal fractures

Answer

facet

Answer

cleavage plane

Answer

striation

Question 45

Using the Mohs hardness scale diagram showing minerals from talc (1) to diamond (10), which statement is correct?

Accepted Answer

Your fingernail can scratch a sample of talc.

Answer

Quartz and apatite are about equally hard.

Answer

Diamonds are more than seven times as hard as quartz.

Answer

A steel knife can scratch quartz.

Question 46

Calcite (CaCO3) belongs to which mineral class?

Accepted Answer

carbonates

Answer

silicates

Answer

oxides

Answer

sulfides

Question 47

Silicate minerals are subdivided into six groups based on the way silica tetrahedra are ________.

Accepted Answer

arranged and bonded

Answer

bonded to anions

Answer

bonded to iron atoms

Answer

arranged and charged

Question 48

Which mineral class makes up more than 96 percent of the continental crust?

Accepted Answer

silicates

Answer

carbonates

Answer

halides

Answer

oxides

Question 49

Trace amounts of impurity can produce significant differences in ________ among individual crystals of a mineral species.

Accepted Answer

color

Answer

cleavage

Answer

luster

Answer

streak

Question 50

Important volatiles in magmas include which pair?

Accepted Answer

water and carbon dioxide

Answer

iron-rich minerals, such as pyroxene

Answer

quartz and calcite

Answer

coal and graphite

Question 51

During cementation in lithification, which two minerals most commonly precipitate into pore spaces to form cement?

Accepted Answer

quartz and calcite

Answer

zircon and gypsum

Answer

fluorite and dolomite

Answer

muscovite and feldspar

Question 52

Broadly, metamorphism involves ________.

Accepted Answer

changes in mineralogy and texture in response to heat and stress

Answer

the setting of crystals in a melt as it cools

Answer

the sorting of grains by size by rivers and waves

Answer

the cementation of loose grains and precipitation of new minerals

Question 53

A buried body of shale is subjected to different stress, causing clay minerals to realign and produce slate. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

metamorphism

Answer

diagenesis

Answer

erosion

Answer

weathering

Question 54

The formation of metamorphic rock involves all of the following processes EXCEPT ________.

Accepted Answer

complete remelting of the rock, followed by solidification to form a new rock

Answer

the realignment of minerals so that they develop a preferred orientation

Answer

the segregation of minerals into layers of different compositions

Answer

the solid-state rearrangement of atoms or ions to create a new assemblage of minerals

Question 55

A ball of ground beef is flattened into a hamburger patty. This illustrates which type of stress?

Accepted Answer

compression

Answer

uniform pressure

Answer

shear

Answer

tension

Question 56

Marble and quartzite are nonfoliated metamorphic rocks because ________.

Accepted Answer

both are dominated by minerals that produce equant grains

Answer

they are never found beneath fault zones or collisional mountain ranges

Answer

both are dominated by minerals with crystalline structures that cannot be dissolved

Answer

dynamothermal metamorphism breaks down their constituent minerals, which are unstable in that environment

Question 57

Foliated metamorphic rocks possess ________.

Accepted Answer

mineral grains in preferred orientations or patterns of association

Answer

leafy plant fossils

Answer

a homogenous texture from randomly oriented grains

Answer

minerals precipitated directly from seawater

Question 58

What is the rock cycle?

Accepted Answer

the transformation of one rock type to another

Answer

the cycle rocks go through when interacting with water

Answer

the transformation of one mineral type to another

Answer

the cycle rocks undergo when interacting with air

Question 59

Why does differential weathering occur?

Accepted Answer

Different minerals have different resistances to weathering.

Answer

Chemical weathering attacks some layers while physical weathering attacks others.

Answer

Cliffs formed by chemical weathering protect the rocks below.

Answer

Some rock types do not weather at all, producing cliffs.

Question 60

According to the Mohs scale, which everyday object listed can scratch calcite but not orthoclase?

Accepted Answer

copper penny

Answer

fingernail

Answer

steel knife

Answer

glass plate

Question 61

This rock was formed by smaller pieces of rock that settled at the bottom of a lake millions of years ago. What type of rock is this?

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Igneous

Answer

Metamorphic

Question 62

Sandstone is an example of...

Accepted Answer

Sedimentary

Answer

Metamorphic

Answer

Igneous

Question 63

Granite is an example of...

Accepted Answer

Igneous

Answer

Metamorphic

Answer

Sedimentary

Question 64

Marble is an example of...

Accepted Answer

Metamorphic

Answer

Igneous

Answer

Sedimentary

Minerals/Rocks Test Review

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