Sample Assessment Items
This is not meant to be printed off and given as a test…this document is to give you ideas
of how this standard might be assessed. Please use these as an example when you are
developing your own formative assessments. Remember formative assessment is to be
given throughout the teaching of a standard to help you guide your instruction based on
students needs. A good formative assessment should have a mix of multiple choice as
well as open ended.
S3E1. Students will investigate the physical attributes of rocks and soils.
b. Recognize the physical attributes of rocks and minerals using observation (shape,
color, texture), measurement, and simple tests (hardness).
Multiple Choice:
What does a mineral’s luster describe?
a. how it is formed
b. how light reflects off of it
c. how difficult it is to scratch
d. the color of the powder left behind
Answer: b
Which of these is formed from cooled, hardened magma?
a. lava
b. humus
c. igneous rock
d. sedimentary rock
Answer: c
Which of these statements about rocks is TRUE?
a. Rocks are liquid.
b. Rocks are living things.
c. Rocks are made of cells.
d. Rocks are made of minerals.
Answer: d
Which mineral property describes how light bounces off of a mineral?
a. color
b. hardness
c. luster
d. streak
Answer: d
Sedimentary rock forms _______________________.
a. in layers
b. when magma cools
c. in the core of Earth
d. when meteors fall to Earth
Answer: a
The following minerals are listed from least hard to most hard.
A mineral can scratch talc and gypsum, but not apatite. The mineral is MOST LIKELY
_______________.
a. diamond
b. fluorite
c. quartz
d. topaz
Answer: b
Use the hardness chart above to answer the question.
If a copper penny can scratch gypsum, then a copper penny will scratch _______.
a. apatite
b. calcite
c. fluorite
d. talc
Answer: b
The Mohs scale for minerals is shown below.
An unknown mineral can be scratched by topaz, but not by feldspar. According to the
Mohs scale, which of the following best describes the hardness of the unknown mineral?
a. less than 5
b. more than 8
c. less than 6, but more than 4
d. more than 6, but less than 8
Answer: d
Paul wants to identify a mineral. He rubs a corner of the mineral across a white tile and
records the color of the mark. What property is Paul testing?
a. cleavage
b. color
c. luster
d. streak
Answer: d
Tiny bits of rock and once-living plants and animals fell to the bottom of a lake long ago.
Many years later, the lake looks like this.
Which of these is the BEST inference about what happened?
a. The lake no longer has any living things.
b. Some plants are growing beneath the water’s surface.
c. The sediment will not continue to collect on the lake’s floor.
d. Nonliving and once-living particles were squeezed together and became rock.
Answer: d
Zoe is testing some mineral properties. The results of her test are shown in the picture.
Which property is Zoe testing?
a. cleavage
b. hardness
c. luster
d. streak
Answer: d
A steel nail can scratch a certain mineral. A copper penny cannot scratch the same
mineral. Which statement is TRUE about the mineral?
a. It is softer that both copper and steel.
b. It is harder that both copper and steel.
c. It is harder than steel, but softer than copper.
d. It is harder than copper, but softer than steel.
Answer: d
A scientist is investigating an unknown mineral. As a safety precaution, what should he
NEVER do in this investigation?
a. Use another mineral to scratch it.
b. See if the mineral leaves a streak.
c. Compare its taste to another mineral.
d. Check to see if the mineral is magnetic.
Answer: c
Open ended:
Emily found a brown mineral. She wants to test its properties. Describe how she could test
the mineral's streak.
Explain why streak is more useful than color when trying to identify a mineral.
Elena found a piece of a mineral while on a hike. She wants to identify the mineral she
found.
a. Identify two physical properties of minerals.
b. Describe how Elena can test the mineral she found for each of the physical
properties that you identified in part a.