Deck 3: Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Question 1

Which of the following is NOT a mineral?

A) petroleum (oil), which is a liquid
B) cubic zirconia, which is a synthetic diamond substitute that is not found in nature
C) ice, which is water in the solid state (and water is essential to all organic life on
Earth)
D) both A and B are not minerals; however, C is a mineral

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which common mineral is found in most kitchens?

A) flour
B) sugar
C) halite
D) mustard

Answer 2

C

Question 3

When in contact with hydrochloric acid,which mineral gives off bubbles of carbon dioxide gas?

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

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The most abundant minerals belong to a chemical group termed the ____________.

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

Question 5

All minerals are held together by ionic bonds.

Question 6

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 being 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 7

Two distinct minerals may have the same chemical formula.

Question 8

It is rare for mineral crystals to display any sort of symmetry (invariance of pattern with respect to a transformation,such as rotation or mirror-image reflection).

Question 9

The most useful diagnostic property of minerals is their color in hand sample.

Question 10

The shininess of a mineral is a helpful diagnostic property termed ____________.

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

Question 11

Ore minerals,such as galena and hematite,tend to be distinct in their very ____________.

A) dark coloration
B) diamond-like crystal habit
C) great specific gravity
D) vitreous luster

Question 12

Natural glass is not considered a mineral because it ____________.

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

Question 13

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 14

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

A) metallic minerals
B) ore minerals
C) source minerals

Question 15

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

A) likely to be diagnostic only if the mineral is hard enough to scratch porcelain
B) more variable than the color in hand sample among crystals
C) less variable than the color in hand sample among crystals
D) always dark brown or black

Question 16

A single mineral may take on multiple crystalline lattice structures.

Question 17

Diamond and graphite are both polymorphs of pure silicon.

Question 18

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 distinct crystal faces

Question 19

Minerals in geodes 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 20

All minerals are chemical compounds (composed of more than one element).

Question 21

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

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

Question 22

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

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

Question 23

Which of the following minerals is hardest?

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

Question 24

Minerals are classified into groups primarily on the 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 25

____________ is a mineral property defined by the density of the mineral sample divided by the density of water (e.g., 1g/ ).

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

Question 26

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

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

Question 27

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

A) glassy
B) conchoidal
C) serpentine
D) obtuse

Question 28

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 29

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

Question 30

Topaz,with Mohs hardness of 8,is twice as hard as fluorite,with Mohs hardness of 4.

Question 31

With regard to minerals,hardness refers to ____________.

A) an ability to resist breaking when being struck with hammer
B) an ability to resist being scratched by other substances
C) an ability to resist chemical reactions with other substances
D) an absence of cleavage

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT a mineral?

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

Question 33

Which of the following minerals is softest?

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

Question 34

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

A) color
B) luster
C) cleavage
D) none of the above; multiple properties must be used to diagnose a mineral

Question 35

In silicate minerals,tetrahedra may be coordinated to form ____________.

A) long one-dimensional chains
B) extensive two-dimensional sheets
C) massive three-dimensional frameworks
D) all of the above