1 Minerals

Which of the following are characteristics of minerals? Choose all that apply.

• Naturally occurring

• 
• Organic

• Inorganic

Coal is not a mineral because….

• It is inorganic and is not naturally occurring.

• It is organic and does not have a crystalline structure.

• It is organic and does not have a crystalline structure.

• It is inorganic and has a crystalline structure.

Answer explanation

Coal is formed when dead plant matter submerged in swamp environments is subjected to the geological forces of heat and pressure over hundreds of millions of years. Over time, the plant matter transforms from moist, low-carbon peat, to coal, an energy- and carbon-dense black or brownish-black sedimentary rock

Which of the following are evidence that an object is a mineral?

Select all that apply.

• It is made in a lab.

• It can be any state of matter.

• It has a chemical formula.

• It is naturally occurring.

What property of a mineral is being tested when you hold it to the light or shine light through it?

• luster

• hardness

• special properties

• streak

What property of a mineral is being tested when you scratch it with a glass or penny?

• luster

• hardness

• special properties

• streak

What property of a mineral is being tested when you rub the mineral on a tile?

• streak

• special property

• luster

• hardness

Which one is not a property used to identify minerals?

• streak

• luster

• hardness

• size

___ describes the property when a mineral breaks in flat, even sides,

and ____ describes the property when a mineral breaks unevenly.

• fracture, luster

• cleavage, fracture

• luster, fracture

Which of the following is the best test to tell the difference between pyrite and real gold?

• color

• luster

• test the hardness

• weigh it

Minerals are distributed ____ across the earth due to __Earth's geological processes__.

Answer choices: evenly, unevenly

(a)