NAME:____________________________ Class Period 2 3 4 5 6
BIG Test Review – answer these questions are a separate sheet of paper. Good luck! 
Minerals
1. To be a mineral, a substance must be what THREE things?
Occur in nature, be made of 1+ elements, nonliving (inorganic)
Rocks (study notes and “Rocks and Minerals Review Sheet” with concept map)
2. What is a rock? Composed of parts of minerals, volcanic glass, remains of plants and animals, & other materials
3. What are the 3 types of Rocks? Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic
4. How do scientists classify rocks? (Hint: grain Size, shape, and pattern)
Igneous:
5. Created from what? Magma (inside) or lava (surface)
6. What are the TWO types of igneous rocks? Intrusive and extrusive
7. Characterized by grain ___size___.
8. An igneous rock formed from lava that erupted onto Earth’s surface is called a _Extrusive_ igneous rock, while
an igneous rock formed from magma under Earth’s surface is called a ___Intrusive___ igneous rock.
9. Rocks that cool quickly have __fine__ grains which are hard to see, while rocks that cool underground have
____coarse____ grains which are easy to see.
10. An igneous rock that has cooled in TWO stages (a fast stage and a cool stage) is called a __porphyritic_ igneous
rock, which means it has small grains AND big grains.
Sedimentary:
11. What is the process called the in which sediments are settled out of water or wind? Deposition
12. What are the THREE types of sedimentary rocks? Detritral/Clastic, Chemical, Organic
13. When sediments are deposited in layers, the layers are called__strata____.
14. After rocks have been eroded into sediments and the sediments have been deposited, sedimentary rocks go
through what two processes? Compaction (pressing together) and cementation (glue them together)
15. What is the process called that chemical sedimentary rocks go through? Crystallization (ex: calcite limestone)
Metamorphic Rock:
16. What are the TWO types of metamorphic rocks? Foliated and Nonfoliated
17. Characterized by grain __pattern___.
18. What does it mean to be foliated? Grain are arranging in bands (different color bands) or layers (like stacked
layers of rock or stacked planes)
19. An igneous or sedimentary rock can be changed into a metamorphic rock when exposed to extreme heat and
_pressure_.
Rock Cycle (Rock Cycle picture in notes and sponges)
You should look over the rock cycle picture that is found in your Rock Cycle Notes. Make sure that you could read that
chart and answer questions about how one type of rock would become another. For example:
 How does a sedimentary rock become a new sedimentary rock? Eroded into sediments and then compacted and
cemented again
 How does a metamorphic rock become an igneous rock? Melting and cooling
 How do sediments eventually become an igneous rock? Compaction and cementation to become sedimentary;
heat and pressure to become metamorphic; melt and cool to become igneous
Relative Age (and 3 Unconformities and 3 Types of Folds) (Study notes and Picture in Sponge)
20. My sister is 14 years old is an example of an ___absolute__ age because I have an exact, definite age.
21. My brother is older than my sister is an example of a __relative__ age because I am making a comparison. I do
not have an exact age of my brother.
22. What law states that in undisturbed rock layers, the oldest rocks are on the bottom and the youngest are on the
top? Principle of Superposition
23. What are the TWO cross cutting features that we discussed? Intrusions and faults
24. If I have an intrusion going through a layer, which must be older – the layer or the intrusion? How do you know?
The layer will be older; the layer has to be there first in order for the intrusion to go through it
25. BE PREPARED TO LOOK AT A PICTURE OF LAYERS AND INTRUSIONS AND ANSWER QUESTIONS (SEE YOUR
RELATIVE AGE SPONGES FOR EXAMPLES).
26. What is contact metamorphism? The rocks surrounding an intrusion are “baked” into metamorphic rocks
27. What is an unconformity? Places in the rock record where sediment was either not laid down for some time or it
was eroded creating a “gap” in the rock record
28. List and describe the THREE types of unconformities we discussed. Draw pictures to help you. Angular;
Nonconformity (sediment lays on top of a layer of eroded metamorphic rock OR eroded igneous rock);
Disconformity (sediment lays on top of a layer of eroded sedimentary rock)
29. Define and DRAW the THREE types of Folds: Monoclines, Anticlines, and Synclines
Monocline – the stair step fold; Anticline – looks like an arch; syncline – looks like an upside down arch
FROM HERE DOWN IS NOT ON THIS TEST!
FOSSILS (Study notes and Fossils Review Sheet)
30. ___Paleontologists__ study fossils and reconstruct the appearance of animals.
31. What are fossils? Remains, imprints, and traces of prehistoric organisms
32. List and describe the FOUR types of Preservation.
 Permineralized remains: fossils in which spaces inside are filled with minerals from groundwater
 Carbon film: results when a thin film or carbon residue forms a silhouette of the original
organism; carbonized plant materials becomes coal
 Mold: cavity in rock left when the hard parts of an organism decay; if sediments wash into the
mold, they can form a cast of the original organism
 Original remains preserved in a material such as amber, ice, tar
33. What is an index fossil and how do scientists use them? Abundant, geographically widespread organisms that
existed for relatively short periods of time; scientist use them to help date layers of rock (relative age)
34. I found a fossil of a fly that is almost in its original form. What substance must this fly have been preserved in?
amber
35. What do trace fossils tell us and what is an example of a trace fossil? Evidence of an organism’s activities; can be
footprints left in mud or sand that then become stone or can be trails or burrows made by worms and other
animals
36. If an organism no longer exists, it is said to be ___extinct___. (Example: Dinosaurs)
Possible ESSAY questions? What do you think you should prepare for as an essay
question?
1. List and describe the 3 types of unconformities.
2. List and describe the 3 different folds that we discussed.
3. Describe 3-4 ways in which fossils can be preserved.
4. Discuss how scientists test minerals.
5.
Discuss how scientists classify rocks and talk about the 3 different types of rocks.