Minerals MCQ Questions and Answers for Practice

1. A hard, colorful mineral that has a brilliant or glassy luster is a(n)

1. alloy
2. pure metal
3. ore
4. gemstone

2. Most minerals do NOT split apart evenly. Instead, they have a characteristic type of

1. cleavage
2. fracture
3. crystal
4. luster

3. Minerals can form deep inside Earths crust by

1. cleavage and fracture
2. friction along faults
3. crystallization of melted materials
4. evaporation of ancient seas

4. An example of a mineral made up of a pure element is

1. coal
2. copper
3. quartz
4. glass

5. A mineral is inorganic, which means that it contains

1. compounds
2. materials made by humans
3. parts of living things
4. no materials that were once part of living things

6. The repeating pattern of a minerals particles forms a solid called a(n)

1. crystal
2. element
3. compound
4. rock

7. Halite is a mineral formed by

1. crystallization of hot water solutions on the ocean floor
2. cooling of magma
3. evaporation
4. cooling of lava

8. What crystal shape does halite have?

1. cubic
2. monoclinic
3. hexagonal
4. glassy

9. After miners remove ore from a mine, what process removes the metal from the ore?

1. evaporation
2. settling
3. smelting
4. crystallization

10. The term used to describe how light is reflected from a minerals surface is

1. fluorescence
2. streak
3. density
4. luster

11. What is a solid mixture of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal?

1. gemstone
2. precious mineral
3. ore
4. alloy

12. Which term refers to anyone who searches for an ore deposit?

1. geologist
2. prospector
3. miner
4. mineral specialist

13. The crystals inside a geode are formed when

1. lava suddenly cools on Earths surface
2. a mineral solution evaporates
3. a mineral solution crystallizes
4. magma cool slowly inside Earth

14. Minerals may form on Earths surface when

1. magma heats a solution
2. crystallization is delayed
3. solutions evaporate
4. pure metals are present

15. A rock that contains a metal or other useful mineral that can be mined and sold at a profit is called a(n)

1. ore
2. gem
3. gemstone
4. crystal