Mineral Quiz
Multiple Choice
Identify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
____
____
____
____
1. Which would be the best tools to measure the density of a small piece of silver ore?
a. a barometer and a balance
c. a metric ruler and a metal detector
b. a density probe and 500 mL beaker
d. a graduated cylinder and a balance
2. The accompanying diagram shows a broken crystal of the mineral halite.
The shape of the halite crystal is a direct result of the
a. internal arrangement of the atoms in
c. type of surface on which the crystal
the crystal
formed
b. temperature at which the crystal
d. stream erosion that changed the crystal
formed
3. Which mineral property is illustrated by the peeling of muscovite mica into thin, flat sheets?
a. luster
c. hardness
b. streak
d. cleavage
4.
Mineral Characteristics
Mineral Color
Luster
Streak
Breakage
Sample
Pattern
Galena
gray
metallic
gray
breaks into cubes
Halite
colorless nonmetallic colorless breaks into cubes
Quartz
colorless nonmetallic colorless irregular
breakage
Gold
yellow
metallic
yellow
irregular
breakage
Which two mineral samples would be most difficult to distinguish from each other based on their
color, luster, and streak?
a. halite and quartz
c. galena and quartz
b. halite and gold
d. galena and gold
____
5. A student created the table below by classifying six minerals into two groups, A and B, based on a
single property.
Group A Group B
olivine
pyrite
garnet
galena
calcite
graphite
Which property was used to classify these minerals?
a. color
c. chemical composition
b. luster
d. hardness
____
6. What are the two main groups of minerals?
a. metallic and nonmetallic
c. rock-forming and powder
b. silicate and nonsilicate
d. carbonate and silicate
____
7. What two elements must be present in a silicate?
a. silicon and carbon
c. silicon and quartz
b. silicon and sodium
d. silicon and oxygen
____
8. What mineral property involves iron?
a. radioactivity
b. density
c. refraction
d. magnetism
____
9. A mineral is a natural solid that usually is
a. inorganic, with characteristic physical properties.
b. organic, with uncharacteristic physical properties.
c. organic, with characteristic physical properties.
d. inorganic, with uncharacteristic physical properties.
____
10. The hardest mineral on the Mohs hardness scale is
a. talc.
c. gypsum.
b. diamond.
d. flourite.
____
11. Density is the ratio of
a. the volume of a substance to the mass of the substance.
b. the mass of a substance to the weight of the substance.
c. the mass of a substance to the hardness of the substance.
d. the mass of a substance to the volume of the substance.
Matching
Match each item with the correct statement below.
a. the tendency of a mineral to break into irregular, uneven surfaces
b. the tendency of a mineral to split to form smooth, flat surfaces
c. the way a mineral’s surface reflects light
d. the color of a mineral in powdered form
e. the measure of the ability of a mineral to resist scratching
____
____
____
____
____
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
luster
fracture
streak
cleavage
hardness
Match the mineral with its use.
a. Quartz
b. Feldspar
____
____
____
____
17.
18.
19.
20.
toothpaste
lead
insulation
glass
c. Mica
d. Galena