Mineral Review Game
Grad a white board and a marker in
the back. `
If a mineral has perfect
cleavage, it
A.
B.
C.
D.
Breaks easily
Breaks along smooth surfaces
Scratches smooth surfaces
Scratches easily
The Answer is: B- it breaks along smooth surfaces
Rock forming minerals contain
elements that are common in Earth’s




A. Mantle
B. Crust
C. Outer Core
D. Inner Core
B. Crust
Which of the following is true?




A. some minerals have no crystal structure
B. Some minerals are liquids
C. Minerals are rarely form in nature
D. Minerals are always solids
D. Minerals are always solids!
The most common rock – forming
minerals are




A. oxides
B. Carbonates
C. silicates
D. metals

C. silicates
Which of the following is one way to
tell which of two minerals is harder?




A. The harder mineral will mark a penny
B. The harder mineral will attract a magnet
C. The harder mineral will scratch the softer one
D. The harder mineral cannot be scratched by
steel.
C. The harder one will
scratch the softer one
The color of a mineral when it is
ground into a powder is its




A. fracture
B. cleavage
C. luster
D. Streak
D. Streak
The best way to tell a pyrite sample
from a gold sample of similar size is
to compare their




A. Colors
B. Luster
C. Densities
D. Bonds
C. Densities
When you say a mineral is
“metallic,” you are talking about its




A. streak
B. luster
C. hardness
D. fracture
B. LUSTER!
Minerals are grouped according to
their




A. Structure
B. Composition
C. Density
D. Mass
B. Composition
Quartz, feldspar, and mica are all
common




A. elements
B. Carbonates
C. oxides
D. silicates
D. Silicates
Determining the manner in which a
mineral breaks is helpful when




A. identifying mineral
B. making the mineral
C. changing the mineral’s composition
D. mining the mineral
A. Identifying the mineral
The two major types of mineral luster
are




A. metallic and nonmetallic
B. shiny and dull
C. glossy and metallic
D. dull and glossy
A. Metallic and nonmetallic
Which of the following are the most
common groups of rock forming
minerals?




A. Carbonates and silicates
B. oxides and carbonates
C. diamonds and oxides
D. silicates and diamonds
A. Carbonates and silicates
All minerals are




A. Cubic
B. hexagonal
C. liquids
D. Solids
D. Solids
To identify a mineral, scientists may
scratch a mineral against a surface.
The Color of powder left behind is the
mineral’s




A. element
B. streak
C. luster
D. fluorescence
B. Streak
A quartz sample breaks into many
irregular pieces. This is an example
of




A. fracture
B. Cleavage
C. Density
D. Streak
A.
Fracture
MOHS Scale of Hardness
1
Talc
2
Gypsum
3
Calcite
4
Fluorite
5
Apatite
6
Feldspar
7
Quartz
8
Topaz
9
Corundum
10
Diamond
Your fingernail has a hardness of
about 2.5
A steel file has a hardness of 6.5

Name one mineral on
the Mohs scale that is
softer than fluorite

Write your answer on
the dry erase board.
MOHS Scale of Hardness
1.
Talc
2.
Gypsum
3.
Calcite
4.
Fluorite
5.
Apatite
6.
Feldspar
7.
Quartz
8.
Topaz
9.
Corundum
10. Diamond
Your fingernail has a hardness
of about 2.5
A steel file has a hardness of 6.5
What is the hardness of
topaz?

8


What is the hardness of
Calcite?
What is the hardness of
Feldspar?
MOHS Scale of Hardness
1.
Talc
2.
Gypsum
3.
Calcite
4.
Fluorite
5.
Apatite
6.
Feldspar
7.
Quartz
8.
Topaz
9.
Corundum
10. Diamond
Your fingernail has a hardness
of about 2.5
A steel file has a hardness of 6.5

Is topaz harder or softer than
a steel file?
Harder

Is Feldspar harder or softer
than a Topaz?
Softer

Is a Diamond harder or
softer than a steel file?
Harder
MOHS Scale of Hardness
1.
Talc
2.
Gypsum
3.
Calcite
4.
Fluorite
5.
Apatite
6.
Feldspar
7.
Quartz
8.
Topaz
9.
Corundum
10. Diamond
Your fingernail has a hardness
of about 2.5
A steel file has a hardness of 6.5

Explain why you
could not use a steel
file to tell the
difference between a
sample of topaz and
a sample of quartz.
I’m the color of the mineral powder
left behind when a mineral is scraped
across a surface.
streak
I’m molten rock inside Earth

Magma
I’m a solid formed in nature with a
definite chemical makeup and crystal
structure.
Mineral
I’m the way in which light reflects
from the surface of a mineral.
Luster
I’m the molten rock that reaches
Earth’s surface.
 Lava
I’m a substance that contains only
one type of atom.
Element
I’m the tendency of a mineral to
break along flat surfaces.
Cleavage
I’m a solid in which the atoms are
arranged in an orderly, repeating
three-dimensional pattern.
Crystal
I’m the tendency of a mineral to
break into irregular pieces.
Fracture
I’m a mineral’s resistance to being
scratched.
hardness
I’m the mass of a substance divided
by its volume.
density