Deck 5: Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT true about minerals?

A)All minerals are compounds of more than one element.
B)All minerals are naturally made.
C)Some minerals are precipitated by organisms.
D)All minerals can be expressed as chemical formulas.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT a way for minerals to crystallize?

A)solidification of a melt (lava/magma)
B)bonding carbon to oxygen atoms to form organic compounds
C)solid-state diffusion
D)biomineralization

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The color of a mineral in powdered form is termed ________.

A)color
B)specific gravity
C)luster
D)streak

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following choices has particles ordered from smallest to largest in size?

A)atom,nucleus,proton,electron
B)electron,proton,nucleus,atom
C)proton,electron,nucleus,atom
D)atom,electron,nucleus,proton

Question 5

Of the ~4,000 known minerals,the vast majority ________.

A)are quite common
B)are rare
C)form only near volcanoes
D)are characterized as gems

Question 6

The most recently formed portion of any crystal is always found ________.

A)deep within the interior
B)on the outer edges
C)on whichever side is currently facing upward
D)There is no consistent pattern for crystal formation.

Question 7

When two different minerals have the same chemical formula but different crystal structures,they are said to be ________.

A)polymorphs
B)polyliths
C)monoliths
D)This is not possible.Two minerals cannot have the same chemical formula.

Question 8

The atomic number of an element corresponds to the ________.

A)number of electrons
B)number of protons
C)number of neutrons
D)total weight of one atom

Question 9

Minerals utilized by humans as a source of metal are termed ________ minerals.

A)metallic
B)ore
C)source
D)industrial

Question 10

SiO₄⁴-,S²-,and CO₃²- are all examples of ________.

A)organic compounds
B)silicate minerals
C)anions
D)cations

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a mineral?

A)quartz
B)diamond
C)petroleum
D)gold

Question 12

Minerals are all naturally occurring solid substances with a definable chemical composition.They must also possess ________.

A)an ability to be synthesized in the laboratory as well as be found in nature
B)metallic elements,such as iron,calcium,or magnesium
C)metallic luster
D)a fixed crystalline structure (spatial arrangement of atoms and ions)

Question 13

Diamond and graphite are both polymorphs of ________.

A)silicon
B)iron
C)magnesium
D)carbon

Question 14

Which of the following is a mineral?

A)petroleum (oil),which is a liquid
B)cubic zirconia,which is a synthetic diamond substitute
C)ice,which is water in the solid state
D)obsidian,a type of volcanic glass

Question 15

The internal ordering of mineral crystals can be detected using ________.

A)magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
B)X-ray diffraction
C)a scanning electron microscope (SEM)
D)cathodized axial tomography (CAT)

Question 16

Minerals in geodes (see below)form spectacular euhedral crystals because ________.

A)all of the elements incorporated in the crystals are in plentiful supply
B)the crystals have abundant room to grow in their hollow surroundings
C)minerals within geodes are always framework silicates
D)minerals within geodes always contain iron

Question 17

Which of the following minerals is more commonly known as table salt?

A)gypsum
B)feldspar
C)halite
D)quartz

Question 18

When a solution becomes oversaturated,new solid particles are said to ________.

A)precipitate from the solution
B)dissolve into the solution
C)react with the solution and produce heat
D)rapidly expand,causing an explosion

Question 19

How is chloride different from chlorine?

A)Chloride has fewer protons than chlorine.
B)Chloride has more protons than chlorine.
C)Chloride has fewer electrons than chlorine.
D)Chloride has more electrons than chlorine.

Question 20

Natural glass is NOT considered a mineral because it ________.

A)is not produced by geologic processes
B)is organic
C)does not have a fixed crystalline structure
D)can be made synthetically as well as be a naturally occurring substance

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT true concerning the color of minerals?

A)Some minerals have a consistent color,but many have a range of possible colors.
B)The streak color tends to be less variable than the color of a whole mineral.
C)Color is often controlled by impurities or minor chemical components of the mineral.
D)A mineral's color reflects the wavelengths of light that are absorbed by the mineral.

Question 22

With regard to minerals,hardness refers to the ability to resist ________.

A)breaking
B)being scratched
C)chemical reactions with other substances
D)bending

Question 23

The way a mineral scatters light is a useful diagnostic property termed ________.

A)color
B)reflectivity
C)luster
D)streak

Question 24

Pyrite (FeS₂)is in which mineral class?

A)silicates
B)carbonates
C)oxides
D)sulfides

Question 25

Minerals that do not possess cleavage are said to possess ________.

A)invulnerability
B)fracture
C)solidity
D)massiveness

Question 26

The image below shows a mineral with hydrochloric acid applied to it.What mineral is this?

A)quartz
B)halite
C)calcite
D)fluorite

Question 27

Cleavage in minerals refers to ________.

A)a tendency to break in an irregular pattern
B)a tendency to break along planes of weakness
C)the sharpness of edges between crystal faces
D)the development of well-formed crystal faces

Question 28

Ore minerals,such as galena and hematite,tend to be different from typical minerals in that they have a ________.

A)very dark color
B)diamond-like crystal habit
C)large specific gravity
D)vitreous luster

Question 29

Using the Mohs hardness scale below,which of the following statements is NOT true?

A)Your fingernail can scratch a sample of gypsum.
B)Diamonds are twice as hard as apatite.
C)Diamonds are more than seven times as hard as quartz.
D)Quartz cannot scratch anything made of steel.

Question 30

________ is a mineral property defined by the density of the mineral sample divided by the density of water (1.0 g/cm³).

A)Mass
B)Specific gravity
C)Luster
D)Streak

Question 31

Synthetically made glass and natural quartz crystals both exhibit a fracture pattern termed ________.

A)glassy fracture
B)conchoidal fracture
C)one-directional cleavage
D)obtuse fracture

Question 32

Which of the following common minerals is softest?

A)quartz
B)calcite
C)talc
D)fluorite

Question 33

The image below shows a mineral specimen of pyrite.What is the term for the thin parallel corrugations or stripes shown on the crystal faces below?

A)conchoidal fractures
B)facets
C)cleavage planes
D)striations

Question 34

Which of the following common minerals is hardest?

A)quartz
B)calcite
C)talc
D)fluorite

Question 35

Calcite (CaCO₃)is in which mineral class?

A)silicates
B)carbonates
C)oxides
D)sulfides

Question 36

For the majority of minerals,the streak color obtained when the mineral is scratched against a porcelain plate is ________.

A)only useful if the mineral is softer than porcelain
B)more variable than the color in a hand sample among crystals
C)not useful because the porcelain will often chemically react with the mineral
D)always dark brown or black

Question 37

Trace amounts of impurity in a mineral can commonly produce significant differences in ________ among individual crystals of this mineral.

A)color
B)cleavage
C)luster
D)streak

Question 38

The image below shows a mineral specimen of quartz.What is the term for the smoothly curving,clamshell-shaped surface on the sample below?

A)conchoidal fracture
B)facet
C)cleavage plane
D)striation

Question 39

Potassium feldspar (KAlSi₃O₈)is in which mineral class?

A)silicates
B)carbonates
C)oxides
D)sulfides

Question 40

The single property that can be used to identify any mineral is ________.

A)color
B)luster
C)cleavage
D)Multiple properties must be used to identify a mineral.

Question 41

In silicate minerals,silica tetrahedra may be chemically bonded to form all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A)long one-dimensional chains
B)flat two-dimensional sheets
C)complex three-dimensional frameworks
D)nearly perfect pyramid-shaped crystals

Question 42

The silica tetrahedron that forms the backbone of all the silicate minerals is composed of silicon and what other element?

A)magnesium
B)oxygen
C)iron
D)carbon

Question 43

Diamonds are usually found in pipes 50 to 200 m across made of ________.

A)graphite
B)kimberlite
C)metamorphic rocks
D)sedimentary rocks

Question 44

The diamonds we typically see today in engagement rings do not display their natural crystal faces but rather ________,which are made by grinding the gem on a spinning lap.

A)striations
B)facets
C)cleavage planes
D)facades

Question 45

The mineral class that makes up >95% of the continental crust is termed the ________.

A)silicates
B)carbonates
C)halides
D)oxides

Question 46

Minerals are grouped into mineral classes primarily on a basis of ________.

A)chemistry,specifically the cations within the chemical formula
B)chemistry,specifically the anions within the chemical formula
C)hardness;hard,soft,and medium are the three primary classes
D)the number of cleavage directions present

Question 47

In which type of silicate are the greatest proportion of oxygen atoms shared by pairs of adjacent tetrahedra?

A)chain silicates
B)framework silicates
C)sheet silicates
D)Sharing of oxygen atoms does not occur in silicates.

Question 48

Which common gemstone results from biomineralization?

A)diamond
B)garnet
C)pearl
D)sapphire

Question 49

Which two gems are special versions of the common mineral corundum (Al₂O₃)?

A)emeralds and rubies
B)emeralds and sapphires
C)aquamarines and emeralds
D)sapphires and rubies

Question 50

Gemstones are commonly found in pegmatites,which are igneous rocks that are ________.

A)exceptionally mafic
B)extrusive,forming from lava
C)exceptionally coarse grained
D)exceptionally fine grained