Reading Questions: Matter and Minerals
PSCI 131
15/FA
NAME______________________________
DUE: Monday, November 30th
38 pts possible
All answers should be in your own words.
Minerals: Building Blocks of Rock (p. 4-5)
1. List the five characteristics that are common to all minerals: (1 pt each)
a. ______________________________________
b. ______________________________________
c. ______________________________________
d. ______________________________________
e. ______________________________________
2. Name any substance that would not be considered a mineral, and explain why it is not. (3 pts)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3. Define the term rock. (2 pts)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Atoms: Building Blocks of Minerals (p. 6-7)
4. For each property listed below, indicate whether it describes protons, neutrons, or electrons by
writing P, N, or E next to it. If a property describes more than one particle, write more than one
letter. (4 pts)
a. Negatively charged
__________
b. Contained in the nucleus
__________
c. Orbit around the nucleus
__________
d. Positively charged
__________
e. No electrical charge
__________
f. Have negligible mass
__________
5. The numbers listed below are numbers of protons in the nuclei of various elements. Next to each
number, write the symbol of the chemical element that matches it. (2 pts)
a. 8 protons
______
b. 19 protons
______
c. 1 proton
______
d. 92 protons
______
Why Atoms Bond (p. 10-12)
6. What are valence electrons? (2 pts)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Match the following chemical bonds (numbers) to the correct definitions (letters). Draw a line from each
name to the matching definition. (3 pts)
7. Covalent
A. Free flowing “pool” of valence electrons that moves through entire atomic
structure
8. Ionic
B. Valence electrons are transferred from one atom to another, forming ions
9. Metallic
C. Valence electrons are shared between atoms
Properties of a Mineral (p. 14-16)
10. Examine Figure 16 on page 14 (the illustration of mineral hardness) to answer the following
problem: The mineral aragonite can be scratched with a copper penny, while the mineral
hornblende cannot be scratched with a knife blade. Which mineral is harder, aragonite or
hornblende? (1 pt)
__________________________ is harder
11. Examine Figure 18 on page 15. Describe one way in which the cleavages of the minerals halite
and calcite (shown in 18D and 18E) are the same, and one way in which the cleavages are
different. (2 pts)
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
12. EXTRA CREDIT (2 pts): The minerals graphite and diamond have the same chemical formula.
Why are their physical properties so different?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Mineral Groups (p. 16-22)
13. List the eight most common elements in the Earth’s crust. (1/2 pt each)
________________________
_________________________
________________________
_________________________
________________________
_________________________
________________________
_________________________
14. What shape is the silicon-oxygen tetrahedron? __________________What element is at the center
of the tetrahedron? ____________ What element is at each of the corners? _________________
(3 pts)
15. What element is shared between two bonded silicon-oxygen tetrahedra in the atomic structures of
silicate minerals?
_________________________ is shared
16. In the sheet silicate structure, how many oxygen atoms does each tetrahedron share with adjacent
tetrahedra?
____________________ oxygen atoms are shared
17. List two common “light” silicate minerals and two common “dark” silicates. (2 pts)
Light: _____________________________________
Dark: ______________________________________
18. Indicate which mineral group each of the following minerals belongs to. (4 pts)
a. Barite (BaSO4)
___________________
b. Sulfur (S)
____________________
c. Chlorargyrite (AgCl)
____________________
d. Ice (H2O)
____________________