1. A) luster of the mineral
B) age of the mineral
C) internal arrangement of the mineral's atoms
D) force with which the mineral is broken
1. Certain minerals usually break along flat surfaces, while
other minerals break unevenly. This characteristic is due
to the
A) Most rocks have a number of minerals in common.
B) Most rocks are composed of a single mineral.
C) All rocks contain fossils.
D) All rocks contain minerals formed by compression
and cementation.
2. Which statement best describes a general property of
rocks?
A) oxygen B) nitrogen
C) hydrogen D) iron
3. Which element in the Earth's crust makes up the largest
volume of most minerals?
A) oxygen B) nitrogen
C) potassium D) hydrogen
4. Which element combines with silicon to form the
tetrahedral unit of structure of the silicate minerals?
A) oxygen B) nitrogen
C) hydrogen D) iron
5. Which element in the Earth's crust makes up the largest
volume of most minerals?
A) internal arrangement of atoms
B) external arrangement of flat surfaces
C) number of pointed edges
D) member of cleavage planes
6. Differences in hardness between minerals are most likely
caused by the
7. Base your answer to the following question on Moh's
mineral hardness scale and on the chart below showing
the approximate hardness of some common objects.
A) mineral's color
B) mineral's abundance in nature
C) amount of iron the mineral contains
D) internal arrangement of the mineral's atoms
The hardness of these minerals is most closely related to
the
A) internal arrangement of atoms
B) external arrangement of flat surfaces
C) number of pointed edges
D) number of cleavage planes
8. Differences in hardness between minerals are most likely
caused by the
A) These minerals have the same chemical and
physical properties.
B) These minerals have different chemical properties,
but they have similar physical properties.
C) These minerals have different physical and
chemical properties, but they have identical uses.
D) The physical and chemical properties of these
minerals determine how humans use them.
9. Which statement about the minerals plagioclase feldspar,
gypsum, biotite mica, and talc can best be inferred from
the chart?
A) graphite, talc, and selenite gypsum
B) potassium feldspar, quartz, and amphibole
C) calcite, dolomite, and pyroxene
D) biotite mica, fluorite, and garnet
10. Silicate minerals contain the elements silicon and
oxygen. Which list contains only silicate materials?

2. A) The atoms are lighter in graphite than in diamond.
B) The atoms are heavier in graphite than in diamond.
C) The atoms are bonded together more strongly in
diamond than in graphite.
D) The atoms are smaller in graphite than in diamond.
11. Two minerals made of pure carbon are diamond and
graphite. Which statement best explains why diamond
is so much more resistant to scratching than graphite?
12. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram and table below. The diagram represents a
felsic igneous rock. Letters A, B, and C represent three different minerals in the rock sample. The table
describes the physical properties of minerals A, B, and C found in the igneous rock sample.
State the names of minerals A, B, and C.

3. 13. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below, which shows three minerals with three
different physical tests, A, B, and C, being performed on them.
A) rate of weathering of the minerals B) identity of the minerals
C) environment where the minerals formed D) geologic period when the minerals formed
The results of all three physical tests shown are most useful for determining the

4. 14. Base your answer to the following question on The data
table below shows the composition of six common
rock-forming minerals.
A) the same elements are found in all minerals
B) a few elements are found in many minerals
C) all elements are found in only a few minerals
D) all elements are found in all minerals
The data table provides evidence that
15. Base your answer to the following question on A
student created the table below by classify six minerals
into two groups, A and B , based on a single property.
A) color
B) luster
C) chemical composition
D) hardness
Which property was used to classify’ these minerals?
16. Base your answer to the following question on The table below shows some properties of four different
minerals.
A) garnet B) magnetite C) quartz D) olivine
The minerals listed in the table are varieties of which mineral?

5. A) hardness B) texture
C) color D) luster
17. One of the most abundant minerals in beach sand is
quartz. Which property of quartz could account for its
abundance?
A) calcite and halite
B) sulfur and fluorite
C) graphite and talc
D) pyrite and magnetite
18. A human fingernail has a hardness of approximately
2.5. Which two minerals are softer than a human
fingernail?
A) Rocks A and C are made of larger particles than
rock B.
B) The particles in rocks A and C are more firmly
cemented than those in rock B.
C) The minerals in rocks A and C erode faster than
those in rock B.
D) Rocks A and C have not been exposed to
weathering as long as rock B.
19. What is the best explanation for the shape of the cliff in
the diagram?
20. The diagrams below illustrate a specific property of
certain minerals.
A) arrangement of atoms in the mineral
B) impurities found in the mineral
C) softness of the mineral
D) density of the mineral
This property is most closely related to the
21. The diagrams below represent fractured samples of four
minerals.
A) hardness B) streak
C) cleavage D) density
Which mineral property is best illustrated by the
samples?

6. Base your answers to questions 22 through 24 on the two tables below and on your knowledge of Earth
science. Table 1 shows the composition, hardness, and average density of four minerals often used as
gemstones. Table 2 lists the minerals in Moh’s Scale of Hardness from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest).
A) emerald and spinel B) emerald and zircon
C) sapphire and spinel D) sapphire and zircon
22. Which gemstone minerals contain the two most abundant elements by mass in Earth’s crust?
A) internal arrangement of atoms B) geologic time of formation
C) oxygen content D) natural abundance
23. The hardness and density of each gemstone is based primarily on the gemstone’s
A) fracture B) hardness C) luster D) streak
24. Part of a gemstone’s value is based on the way the gemstone shines in reflected light. The way a mineral
reflects light is described as the mineral’s

7. 25. Base your answer to the following question on map below, which shows areas where certain minerals were
mined in significant amounts during 1989.
A) making talcum powder B) vulcanizing rubber
C) polishing jewelry D) melting ice
What is a common use for the mineral that is mined at the southern end of the two largest Finger Lakes?