Chapter 1; Section 1
Pages 2-7
1. What is a mineral?
2. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of minerals?
a. It is a solid c. It is nonliving
b. It has crystal structure d. It is formed in a lab
3. The smallest part of an element that has all the properties of that element is a(n) ___________.
4. A substance that cannot be broken down into a simpler substance by chemical means is called a(n) __________.
5. What is a substance made of two or more elements that have been chemically bonded called?
6. A solid whose atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a definite pattern is called __________________.
7. A mineral that is composed of one element is a(n) _______________.
8. Minerals are divided into two groups based upon their chemical composition. Explain the groups.
9. Minerals that contain silicon and oxygen are called ___________.
10. Which silicate minerals are the main components of most of Earth’s crust?
11. Which silicate minerals separate easily into sheets when they break?
12. What silicate mineral is the basic building block of many rocks?
13. Minerals that contain sulfur
and oxygen
14. Copper, gold and silver
15. Minerals that contain one or
more elements like lead or iron
combined with sulfur
16. Minerals that contain carbon
and oxygen
17. Minerals that form when an
element such as aluminum or
iron combine with oxygen
18. Minerals that are compounds
containing fluorine, chlorine,
iodine or bromine
Chapter 1; Section 2
Pages 8-11
1. What factors can change the color of minerals?
2. The way a surface reflects light is called __________________.
3. What are the three types of luster?
4. The color of a mineral in powdered form is called _________________.
5. Why is streak more reliable than color in identifying a mineral?
6. The tendency of some minerals to break along curved or irregular surfaces is called ________________.
7. A mineral’s resistance to being scratched is called
8. What does the Moh’s hardness scale determine?
9. What is the softest mineral on the Moh’s scale?
10. The ratio of mass to volume is called _____________.
11. What substance is the usual reference point for finding density of other substances?
12. The ration of an objects density to the density of water is called ______________________________.
13. The property of calcite and fluorite that causes them to glow under ultraviolet light is called ______________.
14. A Geiger counter can be used to detect ______________ in a mineral.
15. A special property of pyrrhotite is that it is a natural ______________ that attracts iron.
Chapter 1; Section 3
Pages 12-17
1. When changes in pressure, temperature, or chemical make-up alter a rock, ________________ takes place.
2. Name two minerals that may be left behind when a body of salt water evaporates.
3. Gemstones, such as topaz, may form in teardrop-shaped bodies called _____________________.
4. Name two minerals that crystallize out of ground water that has been heated by magma.
5. Mica and feldspar form from slowly cooling magma that solidifies into a ____________________.
6. What 2 minerals may form when materials dissolved in water crystallize on the bottoms of lakes and seas?
7. A mineral deposit large and pure enough to be mined for profit is called a(n) ________________________.
8. Metallic minerals are good conductors of __________________ and ___________________.
9. Some metallic minerals can be processed into ____________________ that can be pounded or pressed into various shapes.
10. Silica and gypsum are _____________ minerals that are widely used in industry.
11. Nonmetallic minerals that are valued for their beauty and rarity rather than their usefulness are called ______________________.
12. What are two important characteristics of gemstones?