WorksheetsSoil, Minerals, Rocks, & Fossils
Total questions: 52
Worksheet time: 2hrs 42mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
What is soil?
a)
Mixture of minerals, water, air, and organic matter
b)
A mixture of minerals
c)
A type of rock
d)
A type of bacteria
2.
Where can you find soil?
a)
Only on dry land
b)
Only on the bottom of oceans and lakes
c)
Covering all of Earth's surface
d)
Covering Earth's surface only at low elevation
3.
Why is soil important to plants?
a)
Plants extract water from soil
b)
Plants extract nutrients from soil
c)
Plants anchor themselves in soil
d)
All of the above
4.
How is soil important to humans and other animals?
a)
Soil cleans water which is required by all living things to survive
b)
Soil is a place for some animals to live
c)
Soil cycles important nutrients needed by animals
d)
All of the above
5.
What must first exist before soil can form?
a)
Plants
b)
Animals
c)
Water
d)
Parent Material
6.
What does weathering mean?
a)
To form or create new
b)
To build up
c)
To break down
d)
To completely destroy
7.
Which of the following is NOT a major weathering factor?
a)
Plants
b)
Animals
c)
Water
d)
Wind
8.
Could soil form if dead organisms were not decompose? (Be prepared to explain your answer)
a)
Yes
b)
No
9.
If the parent material is very hard and resilient rock, do you think it would take longer or shorter for it to become soil? (Be prepared to explain your answer)
a)
Longer
b)
Shorter
10.
What is the most important property of soil?
a)
Color
b)
Texture
c)
Density
d)
Consistency
11.
What is the texture of soil most determined by?
a)
The color of the particles
b)
The chemical properties of the particles
c)
The size of the particles
d)
The density of the particles
12.
Which soil texture is made of tiny or fine particles (less than .002 mm)?
a)
Sand
b)
Silt
c)
Clay
d)
Dirt
13.
What is an advantage of sand? (Be prepared to know the disadvantage too)
a)
Does not hold onto water or nutrients
b)
Good drainage and air passes through easily
c)
Holds onto water and nutrients
d)
Allows some drainage and holds nutrients
14.
What is an advantage of clay? (Be prepared to know the disadvantage too)
a)
Allows some drainage and holds nutrients
b)
Holds onto water and nutrients
c)
Good drainage and air passes through easily
d)
Gets too heavy with water and hardens when dry
15.
What is an advantage of silt? (Be prepared to know the disadvantage too)
a)
Good drainage and air passes through easily
b)
Holds onto water and nutrients
c)
Allows some drainage and holds nutrients
d)
Easily packs down, causing less water and air to pass through
16.
Can you determine what type of soil it is if you know it feels smooth when dry? (Be prepared to explain)
a)
Yes
b)
No
17.
What are different soil types made of?
a)
Different types of organic matter
b)
Different proportions of soil textures
c)
Different rocks and minerals
d)
The same type of soil textures but different types of organic matter
18.
What types of soil is gritty and most often found at beaches?
a)
Sandy Soil
b)
Clay Soil
c)
Loamy Soil
d)
Dirty Soil
19.
Which type of soil is made of nearly equal parts of sand, clay, and silt?
a)
Sandy Soil
b)
Clay Soil
c)
Loamy Soil
d)
Dirty Soil
20.
Why is loamy soil considered to be the most ideal soil for plants?
a)
Loamy soil has characteristics of all three soil textures
b)
It holds onto water and nutrients while still allowing water and air to pass through
c)
Both A & B
d)
None of the Above
21.
Why is sandy and clay soil poor for plants?
a)
Sandy soil does not hold enough water and nutrients for plants to survive.
b)
Clay soil holds onto water and nutrients too tightly and plants cannot extract.
c)
Both A & B
d)
None of the Above
22.
What do we call the layers of soil?
a)
Deposits
b)
Horizons
c)
Minerals
d)
Rocks
23.
What is the very top layer (humus) of soil mostly made of?
a)
Solid rock
b)
Clay and mineral deposits
c)
A mixture of minerals and organic material
d)
Mostly organic material
24.
Why is the fourth layer (weathered rock) also called parent material?
a)
It breaks down and pushes sediment or particles upwards that make up the soil in the above layers
b)
It creates new soil by fixing old rock
c)
Both A & B
d)
None of the Above
25.
How does the amount of organic matter (humus) change as you move down in soil? Do you find more, less, or the same amount?
a)
Increases (More)
b)
Decreases (Less)
c)
Stays the same
d)
None of the Above
26.
What is soil made up of?
a)
Living things only
b)
Nonliving things only
c)
Both living and nonliving things
d)
None of the Above
27.
Of the following nonliving parts of soil, what was once a living thing?
a)
Rocks and sediments
b)
Minerals
c)
Organic matter
d)
Water
28.
Which of the following is NOT a living thing found in soil?
a)
Insects
b)
Plants
c)
Water
d)
Bacteria
29.
Why is soil important to living things?
a)
Living things obtain nutrients and water from soil
b)
Some living things live in soil
c)
Both A & B
d)
None of the Above
30.
What is a mineral?
a)
A naturally occurring, inorganic substance
b)
A naturally occurring, organic substance
c)
A man-made inorganic substance
d)
A man-made inorganic substance
31.
A mineral...
a)
has a specific chemical makeup
b)
is made of two or more different chemical substances
c)
is made by a living thing
d)
can be solid, liquid, or gas
32.
What do we mean when we say a mineral has a crystalline structure?
a)
A mineral is made of ice crystals
b)
A mineral is shiny or lustrous, like a crystal
c)
The atoms in a mineral are arranged in a systematic and repeating way
d)
The atoms in a mineral are arranged randomly
33.
Can you conclude that a solid substance found outside is a mineral if it seems to be something natural? (Be prepared to explain)
a)
Yes
b)
No
34.
What characteristics do both rocks and minerals have in common?
a)
They are both organic
b)
They are both chemically pure
c)
They are both naturally occurring
d)
They both have crystals
35.
A rock is...
a)
a chemically pure substance
b)
an aggregate or mixture of minerals
c)
always inorganic
d)
classified according to a specific set of properties
36.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of minerals?
a)
Minerals are inorganic
b)
Minerals have crystals
c)
Minerals have a definite chemical compositions
d)
Minerals can contain fossils
37.
If a fossil is embedded in a solid substance, is the substance a rock or a mineral? (Be prepared to explain)
a)
Rock
b)
Mineral
38.
What type of rock forms from cooled magma or lava?
a)
Sedimentary Rock
b)
Igneous Rock
c)
Metamorphic Rock
d)
All of the Above
39.
Which type of rock can contain fossils?
a)
Sedimentary Rock
b)
Igneous Rock
c)
Metamorphic Rock
d)
All of the Above
40.
Which type of rock can become a metamorphic rock?
a)
Sedimentary Rock
b)
Igneous Rock
c)
Old Metamorphic Rock
d)
All of the Above
41.
A very shiny, glass-like igneous rock was discovered. How was it formed?
a)
Sediments
b)
From magma or lava that cooled very quickly
c)
From magma or lava that cooled slowly
d)
Heat and pressure
42.
What happens when a rock buried underground is exposed to heat and/or pressure?
a)
Becomes a metamorphic rock
b)
Becomes a sedimentary rock
c)
Becomes an igneous rock
d)
All of the Above
43.
What is a sediment?
a)
A type of rock
b)
A type of mineral
c)
A tiny particle of rock or organic matter
d)
A part of a plant
44.
What do we call the process when sediment is squeezed together as a result of weight and pressure from upper layers of sediment?
a)
Cementation
b)
Compaction
c)
Deposition
d)
Rock Formation
45.
During what process do minerals fill the spaces between particles and glue the particles together?
a)
Cementation
b)
Compaction
c)
Deposition
d)
Rock Formation
46.
What is the correct sequence to sedimentary rock formation?
a)
Deposition -> Compaction -> Cementation
b)
Cementation -> Compaction -> Deposition
c)
Compaction -> Deposition -> Cementation
d)
Deposition -> Cementation -> Compaction
47.
Where is the oldest layer of sedimentary rock?
a)
At the bottom
b)
On the top
c)
In the middle
d)
Mixed in all over
48.
What is a fossil?
a)
A living organism
b)
The organic matter that makes up an organism
c)
The preserved remains of a once living organism
d)
A type of rock
49.
Where are fossils found?
a)
Igneous Rock
b)
Molten Rock (magma)
c)
Sedimentary Rock
d)
Saltwater
50.
Fossils found in deeper layers of rock are ___________ than fossils found in shallower layers of rock.
a)
Older
b)
Younger
c)
The same age
d)
It doesn't matter
51.
How do fossils help us study the past?
a)
Fossils give us an idea as to what organisms lived in the past
b)
Fossils tell us what the environment was like in an area in the past
c)
Fossils tells us an idea of how long ago certain organisms lived
d)
All of the Above
52.
What can we infer about fossils in the same layer of rock?
a)
Organisms lived at the same time
b)
One organism is older than the other
c)
The organisms didn't like each other
d)
One organism is younger than the other
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