This document contains 30 multiple choice questions about igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. The questions cover topics such as the mineral composition and textures of different rock types, how they form through processes like melting, cooling of magma, erosion and deposition of sediments, and metamorphism due to heat and pressure. The correct answers to each question are also provided.

1. A) white quartz B) aluminum
C) pink feldspar D) iron
1. Compared to felsic igneous rocks, mafic igneous rocks
contain greater amounts of
A) monomineralic igneous rock
B) polymineralic igneous rock
C) monomineralic sedimentary rock
D) polymineralic sedimentary rock
2. Rhyolite is an example of a
A) intrusive igneous B) extrusive igneous
C) metamorphic D) sedimentary
3. Which type of rock is likely to show ripple marks and
fossils?
4. Base your answer to the following question on the rock
sample shown below.
A) granite, an igneous rock
B) conglomerate, a sedimentary rock
C) siltstone, a sedimentary rock
D) Weiss, a metamorphic rock
The rounded pebbles of this rock have been cemented
together to form
A) melting and solidification
B) heat and pressure
C) erosion and deposition
D) compaction and cementation
5. Most igneous rocks form by which processes?
A) mineral composition of the magma
B) cooling rate of the magma
C) fossil content of the rock
D) color of the rock
6. Large crystals in an igneous rock most likely form as a
result of the
A) high in density and dark in color
B) high in density and light in color
C) low in density and dark in color
D) low in density and light in color
7. A mafic igneous rock is most likely to be relatively
A) felsic, with low density
B) felsic, with high density
C) mafic, with low density
D) mafic, with high density
8. Olivine and pyroxene are commonly found in igneous
rocks that are
A) intergrown crystals B) fossils
C) minerals D) sediments
9. Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are
usually composed of
A) weathering and erosion
B) great heat and pressure that did not produce
melting
C) rapid cooling of molten material
D) burial and cementation of sediment
10. A fine-grained igneous rock was probably formed by
A) age B) origin
C) size D) hardness
11. The grouping of rocks as igneous, sedimentary, and
metamorphic is based primarily upon differences in

2. 12. Base your answer to the following question on the block diagram below, which shows a portion of Eath's
crust. Letters A, B, C, and D indicate sedimentary layers.
A) granite B) pegmatite C) gabbro D) pumice
The igneous rock is mostly composed of potassium feldspar and quartz crystals that have an average grain
size of 3 millimeters. The igneous rock is most likely
A) gabbro B) basalt
C) granite D) rhyolite
13. Which is a fine-grained igneous rock made up primarily
of pyroxene and plagioclase feldspar?
A) index fossils
B) faults in the rock
C) the crystal size of its minerals
D) the disintegration of radioactive substances
14. The best evidence for determining the cooling rate of an
igneous rock during its solidification is provided by
A) olivine and quartz
B) olivine and pyroxene
C) pyroxene and orthoclase
D) orthoclase and quartz
15. Which minerals are found in the igneous rocks gabbro
and basalt?
16. Base your answer to the following question on the
diagrams below of five rock samples.
A) sandstone B) conglomerate
C) basalt D) granite
Which sample is igneous and has a coarse texture?
A) rhyolite and diorite
B) pumice and scoria
C) peridotite and andesite
D) gabbro and basalt
17. Which two igneous rocks could have the same mineral
composition?
A) a high-grade metamorphic rock layer made from
mixed igneous and sedimentary layers
B) a series of alternating layers of shale and
sandstone
C) a basalt lava flow from an ancient volcano
D) a mass of granite in the core of a mountain
18. Which kind of bedrock would most likely contain
fossils?

3. A) sedimentary rock
B) metamorphic rock
C) fine-grained igneous rock
D) coarse-grained igneous rock
19. The chemical precipitation of dissolved minerals from
ocean water results in the formation of
20. Base your answer to the following question on Which
type of rock is represented by the map symbol below?
A) clastic sedimentary rock formed from organic
substances
B) chemically formed sedimentary rock that consists
mainly of the mineral calcite
C) regional metamorphic rock with block like
foliation
D) contact metamorphic rock that results from the
alteration of limestone by contact with an igneous
intrusion
21. The diagram below represents the fossils found in a
bedrock formation located in central Rhode Island.
A) sedimentary rock that formed in an ocean
environment
B) sedimentary rock that formed in a land
environment
C) igneous rock that formed in an ocean environment
D) igneous rock that formed in a land environment
In which type of rock were the fossils most likely
found?

4. 22. Base your answer to the following question on the map and cross section below. The shaded areas on the
map represent regions of the United States that have evaporite rock layers (layers of rock formed from the
evaporation of seawater) under the surface bedrock. The cross section shows the generalized structure of
the area in which the evaporite layers are found in New York State.
A) sedimentary B) plutonic igneous
C) regional metamorphic D) contact metamorphic
The surface rocks overlying these evaporite rock layers are most likely which type of rock?
A) land-derived sedimentary rock
B) chemically formed sedimentary rock
C) foliated metamorphic rock
D) nonfoliated metamorphic rock
23. Dolostone is classified as which type of rock?
A) sedimentary rocks of Devonian age
B) sedimentary rocks of Ordovician age
C) igneous rocks of Cambrian age
D) intensely metamorphosed rocks of Middle
Proterozoic age
24. The surface bedrock of the Tug Hill Plateau is
composed primarily of
A) Many metamorphic rocks contain only one
mineral.
B) Many metamorphic rocks have an organic
composition.
C) Many metamorphic rocks exhibit banding and
distortion of structure.
D) Many metamorphic rocks contain a high amount
of oxygen-silicon tetrahedra.
25. What is the main difference between metamorphic
rocks and most other rocks?
A) metamorphic rock B) sedimentary rock
C) igneous rock D) volcanic rock
26. The recrystallization of unmelted material under high
temperature and pressure results in
27. The diagram below represents a sample of a rock.
A) distorted banding
B) an organic composition
C) a mixture of minerals
D) crystals from precipitation
This rock would be classified as metamorphic because it
shows
A) erosion of rocks
B) recrystallization of rocks
C) cooling and solidification of molten magma
D) compression and cementation of soil particles
28. Metamorphic rocks result from the

5. A) precipitation from evaporating water
B) melting and solidification in magma
C) erosion and deposition of soil particles
D) heat and pressure causing changes in existing rock
29. Metamorphic rocks form as the direct result of
A) sediments are cemented and compacted
B) magma cools slowly, deep underground
C) flows of lava cool rapidly
D) rocks are subjected to heat and pressure
30. Most metamorphic rocks are formed when