Geol 101: Physical Geology
PAST EXAM QUESTIONS
LECTURE 7: MINERALS III
7. Minerals that contain a chemical combination of silicon and oxygen are called:
A. silicates
B. non-silicates
C. carbonates
D. sulfides
E. oxides
7. About 75% of the Earth’s crust is made up of which two minerals?
A. plagioclase and K-feldspar
B. olivine and calcium plagioclase
C. feldspar and pyroxene
D. quartz and muscovite
E. quartz and feldspar
7. The most abundant mineral family is the (1) ________ and the second-most abundant is the (2) _______:
A. (1) silicates
(2) oxides
B. (1) oxides
(2) silicates
C. (1) carbonates
(2) oxides
D. (1) nonsilicates
(2) silicates
E. (1) silicates
(2) carbonates
7. The silica anion contains (1) _______ arranged into a shape called a (2) _________.
A. (1) one silicon and one oxygen
(2) silicate
B. (1) one silicon and four oxygens
(2) tetrahedron
C. (1) four silicons and one oxygen
(2) pyramid
D. (1) four silicons and four oxygens
(2) tetrahedron
E. (1) one silicon and four oxygens
(2) pyramid
7. The silica tetrahedron has an ionic charge of (1) _________ because (2) ___________.
A. (1) negative-4
(2) it contains 4 oxygen atoms, each with a negative charge
B. (1) negative-2
(2) it contains 2 oxygen atoms, each with a negative charge
C. (1) positive-4
(2) it contains 4 silicon atoms, each with a positive charge
D. (1) positive-2
(2) it contains 2 silicon atoms, each with a positive charge
E. none of the above
7. Which of the following is not a type of atomic arrangement in silicate minerals?
A. single chain
B. double chain
C. triple chain
D. sheet
E. 3D framework
7. Which mineral is pure silica?
A. plagioclase
B. olivine
C. table salt
D. mica
E. quartz
7. The type of feldspar that contains either Ca or Na is called:
A. K-feldspar
B. plagioclase
C. calcite
D. olivine
E. granite
7. Which of the following silicate minerals has an atomic arrangement in the form of sheets?
A. plagioclase
B. olivine
C. table salt
D. quartz
E. mica
7. If a silicate mineral is referred to as being ferromagnesian, it MUST contain the following:
A. iron and sodium
B. magnesium and calcium
C. iron and magnesium
D. calcium and aluminum
E. magnesium and sodium
7. Ferromagnesian silicate minerals are usually dark-colored because they contain:
A. Si and Al
B. Si and O
C. Ca and Na
D. Fe and Mg
E. K and Mg
7. Which of the following is NOT a ferromagnesian silicate?:
A. plagioclase feldspar
B. garnet
C. biotite mica
D. pyroxene
E. olivine
7. Two polymorphs or carbon are:
A. graphite and lead
B. graphite and pyrite
C. diamond and quartz
D. diamond and graphite
E. limestone and chalk
7. The type of feldspar that contains either Ca or Na is called:
A. K-feldspar
B. plagioclase
C. calcite
D. olivine
E. granite
7. Metals occur in the Earth as ore minerals, often in the form of sulfides, such as the so-called fool’s gold (FeS2),
which is more accurately called:
A. native gold
B. hematite
C. pyrite
D. galena
E. magnetite
7. Newly discovered minerals are named:
A. after places where they were discovered
B. after people who discovered them
C. based on their chemistry
D. based on their physical appearance
E. any of the criteria listed above are okay for naming minerals
7. Minerals can NOT form by the following process:
A. crystallization of magma or lava
B. by hydrothermal processes
C. the alteration of existing minerals
D. growth of bones in living organisms
E. evaporation
7. The amount of mineral resource in a rock is always greater than the amount of mineral reserve because:
A. the mineral reserve is the only part of the resource that gets discovered
B. it is not always economically possible to extract all of a mineral resource
C. the economic markets fluctuate
D. the mineral resource is constantly being depleted
E. mineral resources are much easier to find than mineral reserves
7. What does the atomic model on the right represent?
A. diamond
B. graphite
C. quartz
D. the silica anion
E. DNA structure