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WorksheetsIdentifying a Rock vs Mineral Quick Check
Total questions: 18
Worksheet time: 18mins
What is the primary difference between a rock and a mineral?
Rocks are made of minerals, while minerals are made of elements.
Minerals are made of rocks, while rocks are made of elements.
Rocks are organic, while minerals are inorganic.
Minerals are organic, while rocks are inorganic.
Which characteristic is most useful in identifying a mineral?
Color
Hardness
Size
Weight
You find a rock sample that has layers and contains fossils. How would you classify this rock?
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Mineral
A mineral sample scratches glass but not a steel file. What can you infer about its hardness on the Mohs scale?
Less than 5
Between 5 and 6
Between 6 and 7
Greater than 7
Which of the following is a key characteristic of igneous rocks?
They have a glassy texture.
They contain fossils.
They have a foliated structure.
They are formed by the cooling of magma or lava.
How would you classify a rock that has been changed by heat and pressure?
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Mineral
Which property would you use to distinguish between quartz and calcite?
Color
Hardness
Streak
Luster
A rock sample is composed of large, interlocking crystals. What type of rock is it likely to be?
Sedimentary
Igneous
Metamorphic
Mineral
What reasoning would you use to classify a rock with a foliated texture?
It is an igneous rock formed from lava.
It is a sedimentary rock formed from layers of sediment.
It is a metamorphic rock formed under pressure.
It is a mineral with a crystalline structure.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic used to identify minerals?
Hardness
Streak
Cleavage
Weight
You find a rock that is very light and has many air holes. How would you classify it?
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Mineral
Which type of rock is most likely to contain fossils?
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Mineral
What evidence would you use to classify a mineral as having cleavage?
It breaks along flat planes.
It has a glassy luster.
It leaves a streak on a porcelain plate.
It is harder than glass.
A rock sample has a banded appearance and is very hard. What type of rock is it likely to be?
Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Mineral
Which reasoning would you use to classify a mineral that can be scratched by a fingernail?
It has a hardness less than 2.5.
It has a hardness between 2.5 and 3.5.
It has a hardness between 3.5 and 4.5.
It has a hardness greater than 4.5.
Rocks are classified as igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary according to
their color.
how they formed.
their shape.
the minerals they contain.
We classify rocks and minerals based on what type of observations?
qualitative (using our five senses)
quantitative (using measurement tools)
During a laboratory investigation, students were asked to classify rocks based on the physical characteristics.
I. Contains some fossils of plants
II. Shows large crystals form during cooling
III. Shows layers of rocks deposited over years
IV. Contain large holes form from trapped gas during cooling
V. Contains dissolved minerals/sediments
VI. Shows layer of minerals from high heat and pressure
Which characteristics describe Sedimentary Rock?
I, III, V
IV, V, VI
I, II, III
I, IV, VI
