3rd Grade Rocks/Fossils/Minerals Checkpoint 2nd Nine Weeks
1. Fossils are usually found in
A.
B.
C.
D.
rocks.
minerals.
crystals.
water.
2. Which part of an animal might form a fossil?
A.
B.
C.
D.
brain
bones
eyes
heart
3. When lava from an erupting volcano cools, it forms
A.
B.
C.
D.
metamorphic rocks.
igneous rocks
iron ore.
sand.
4. Which property can BEST be used to identify a type of mineral?
A.
B.
C.
D.
hardness
mass
size
temperature
5. Soil is made up MOSTLY of
A.
B.
C.
D.
nitrogen.
weathered rock.
water.
air.
6. What do you call plants or animals that lived many years ago that are found inside
rocks?
A. limestone
B. coal
C. fossils
D. slate
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3rd Grade Rocks/Fossils/Minerals Checkpoint 2nd Nine Weeks
7. For his science fair project, Gary put slices of dark and white bread between paper and
smashed the bread by stepping on it. What was Gary trying to show?
A.
B.
C.
D.
how fossils form
how crystals form
how soils form
how some rocks form
8. Mrs. Dodge’s class is studying minerals. To find the name of each mineral, the students
must show
A.
B.
C.
D.
the shape of the mineral.
the size of the mineral.
the color of the mark made on a tile.
the weight of the mineral.
9. Which soil is BEST for growing tomato plants?
A.
B.
C.
D.
red clay soil
rocky soil
sandy soil
loamy soil
10. Fossils of fish are found under land where cows now live. You know that
A.
B.
C.
D.
this land was once under the ocean.
fish used to live on land.
the fish were dropped by flying birds.
Farmers fed the fish to the cows.
11. Some rocks form when
A.
B.
C.
D.
snow covers a mountain.
fertilizer is added to soil.
rocks melt underground and flow to the surface.
large, colored crystals from inside minerals.
12. Which is NOT a kind of soil?
A.
B.
C.
D.
clay
mineral
loam
sand
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3rd Grade Rocks/Fossils/Minerals Checkpoint 2nd Nine Weeks
13. Which is made of many different minerals?
A.
B.
C.
D.
talc
quartz
granite
diamond
14. A fish fossil might form when a fish dies and
A.
B.
C.
D.
is trapped in ice.
a volcano erupts.
river mud becomes rock.
is pressed into soft rock.
15. Which mineral is HARDEST?
A.
B.
C.
D.
copper
diamond
gold
mica
16. Some fossils are shaped like the clams that are alive today. This tells us that
A.
B.
C.
D.
clams turn into fossils very quickly.
other living things can look like clams
clams became extinct, and then new ones grew.
clams have been on Earth for a very long time.
17. The sand on a Georgia beach is made from
A.
B.
C.
D.
a volcano.
larger rocks.
melted rock.
soil.
18. Jacob is studying minerals. Which will NOT help him name the mineral?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the shape of the crystals
the size of the mineral
the color of a mark made by the mineral
the hardness of the mineral
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3rd Grade Rocks/Fossils/Minerals Checkpoint 2nd Nine Weeks
19. If you found a fossil of a leaf in a rock, you would know that the fossil formed when
A.
B.
C.
D.
someone pressed the leaf against a soft rock.
the leaf fell into soil that later became a rock.
the leaf melted into the rock.
the leaf grew inside of the rock.
20. What can scientists learn by studying fossils?
A.
B.
C.
D.
why earthquakes happen
which animals lived long ago
how far the Moon is from Earth
why volcanoes erupt
21. Maria makes a scratch on a rock by using her fingernail. Which is NOT true about the rock?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The rock is a soft rock.
The rock would scratch a piece of glass.
The rock will easily fall apart.
A nail would also make a scratch on this rock.
22. Stan saw tiny crystals inside a rock. He should know that the rock has
A.
B.
C.
D.
a fossil inside.
minerals inside.
soil inside.
air inside.
23. A scratch test measures which property of a mineral?
A.
B.
C.
D.
color
luster
hardness
texture
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3rd Grade Rocks/Fossils/Minerals Checkpoint 2nd Nine Weeks
Use the picture below to answer question 24.
24. Sam found this object in the garden soil. It is a dark color and seems to break into
slabs. It is not soft, but it scratches with a nail. Sam decides it is a
A.
B.
C.
D.
cell.
rock.
fossil.
mineral.
Use the picture below to answer question 25.
25. The picture shows the mineral test for
A.
B.
C.
D.
hardness.
streak.
magnetism.
chemical makeup.
26. The best soil for making pottery is
A.
B.
C.
D.
sandy soil.
loam soil.
clay soil.
rocky soil.
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3rd Grade Rocks/Fossils/Minerals Checkpoint 2nd Nine Weeks
27. Harry put some soil into a tube. He added some water, shook it up, and let it settle.
Which shows the layers that he most likely saw?
A.
B.
C.
D.
28. In science class Teri used a hand lens to look at a material. She wrote, “It has very
Small pieces that look like tiny rocks. I also see pieces of dead leaves and stems. Mostly I
see dark brown pieces.” Teri was MOST LIKELY looking at
A.
B.
C.
D.
fossils.
minerals.
crystals.
soil.
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3rd Grade Rocks/Fossils/Minerals Checkpoint 2nd Nine Weeks
Use the picture below to answer question 29.
29. The picture shows a fossil tooth. Which animal has teeth like the fossil?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Use the picture below to answer question 30.
30. This fossil came from which type of plant?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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3rd Grade Rocks/Fossils/Minerals Checkpoint 2nd Nine Weeks
Answer Key
1. A
2. B
3. B
4. A
5. B
6. C
7. D
8. C
9. D
10.A
11.C
12.B
13.C
14.C
15.B
16.D
17.B
18.B
19.B
20.B
21.B
22.B
23.C
24.D
25.B
26.C
27.B
28.D
29.B
30.A
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