Question 1

Which of the following minerals is a silicate?

Accepted Answer

A) galena 
B) olivine 
C) calcite 
D) halite

Question 2

Draw and label a silicon-oxygen tetrahedron.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Draw and label a silicon-oxygen tetrahedron....

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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 4

Which layer of Earth does NOT contain silicates?

Accepted Answer

A) oceanic crust 
B) upper mantle 
C) outer core 
D) asthenosphere

Question 5

Ore minerals,such as galena,tend to be different from typical minerals (such as quartz)in that they have a ________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

Which of the following common minerals is softest?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 7

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

Natural glass is NOT considered a mineral because it ________.

Accepted Answer

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 9

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

Which of the following is a mineral?

Accepted Answer

A) granite 
B) cubic zirconia 
C) salt dissolved in water 
D) calcite

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

The silicates are broken into several groups based on the way the silica tetrahedral are ________.

Accepted Answer

A) bonded to anions 
B) bonded to iron atoms 
C) arranged and bonded 
D) arranged and charged

Exam 3: Patterns in Nature: Minerals