Science Mini-Assessment
Rocks and Minerals
Name ___________________________________
Directions: Circle the letter of the correct answer
1. In science class, the students tried to scratch their mineral samples with a
finger nail, a copper penny, a steel nail, and a piece of glass. Which
property of the mineral samples will the students be able to identify using
this test?
a.
b.
c.
d.
cleavage
streak color
luster
hardness
2. While wading in a stream, John found a rock which felt sandy and had bits
of shell in it. What type of rock had John most likely found?
a.
b.
c.
d.
metamorphic
sedimentary
magma
igneous
3. Jose wanted to identify some samples that he found as either rocks or
minerals. Which of the following properties would indicate that the sample
was a rock?
a.
b.
c.
d.
there were crystals of many different colors throughout the sample
the entire sample was one color
the sample had broken along smooth flat surfaces
the sample had a metallic luster
4. Two similar mineral samples were found in a cave. What properties should
Megan observe to determine if these two samples were actually same
mineral?
a.
b.
c.
d.
luster, size and streak
hardness, streak, and shape
cleavage, luster, hardness
texture, color, cleavage
5. Brett found a piece of rock while hiking in the mountains. The rock was
made up of many large crystals. By looking at it, Brett hypothesized that
the crystals were the minerals quartz, feldspar and mica. Which property
was most helpful in identifying the minerals that made up the sample?
a.
b.
c.
d.
luster
cleavage
streak
color