Mineral Detectives
A geologist wants to test how a mineral breaks apart naturally. What property is she testing?
A. Luster
B. Streak
C. Cleavage
D. Hardness
C. Cleavage
A student finds a rock that contains many small shells and sand grains cemented together. What type of rock is this?
A. Granite
B. Metamorphic rock
C. Sedimentary rock
D. Igneous rock
C. Sedimentary rock
Which of these processes is an example of weathering?
A. Wind blowing sand from one place to another
B. Sand settling at the bottom of a river
C. Wind breaking down rocks into sand grains
D. Water washing rocks down a hillside
C. Wind breaking down rocks into sand grains
A dam on a river uses the flowing water to generate electricity for a city. What type of resource is being used?
A. Renewable resource
B. Forest resource
C. Nonrenewable resource
D. Human resource
A. Renewable resource
Many historic buildings in Florida were built using a white or light-colored stone that comes from the ground. Which Florida resource was most likely used?
A. Limestone
B. Solar energy
C. Silicon
D. Phosphate
A. Limestone
Two samples of the same mineral type have different colors. Which property is most likely to stay the same for both samples?
A. Streak color
B. Color
C. Luster
D. Hardness
D. Hardness
A rock is made of sand and shells pressed together over millions of years. What type of rock is this?
A. Metamorphic rock
B. Sedimentary rock
C. Igneous rock
D. Magma rock
B. Sedimentary rock
What is the main difference between weathering and erosion?
A. Erosion breaks down rocks and weathering moves them
B. Weathering and erosion are the same thing
C. Weathering happens slowly and erosion happens quickly
D. Weathering breaks down rocks and erosion moves them
D. Weathering breaks down rocks and erosion moves them
Which of these resources can be replaced by nature within a human lifetime?
A. Oil
B. Phosphate
C. Wind energy
D. Coal
C. Wind energy
Florida is known for producing a large amount of phosphate, which is used in fertilizers. What type of resource is phosphate?
A. Nonrenewable resource
B. New resource
C. Organic resource
D. Renewable resource
A. Nonrenewable resource
A student tests the hardness of four minerals by trying to scratch them with her fingernail. Only one mineral gets scratched. Which mineral is the softest?
A. The mineral with the lightest color
B. The mineral with the smallest size
C. The mineral that was not scratched by the fingernail
D. The mineral that was scratched by the fingernail
D. The mineral that was scratched by the fingernail.
Which type of rock forms when magma cools and hardens above or below Earth's surface?
A. Metamorphic rock
B. Magma
C. Sedimentary rock
D. Igneous rock
D. Igneous rock
Which example shows erosion rather than weathering?
A. Rain dissolves minerals in a rock
B. Ice forms in cracks and splits a rock apart
C. A river carries soil and rocks downstream
D. Plant roots break rocks into smaller pieces
C. A river carries soil and rocks downstream
Coal is used to generate electricity in power plants around the world. Why is coal considered a nonrenewable resource?
A. Coal is expensive to extract from the ground
B. Coal takes millions of years to form and we cannot make more in our lifetime
C. Coal produces pollution when it is burned
D. Coal is found in only a few locations on Earth
B. Coal takes millions of years to form and we cannot make more in our lifetime
A power plant in Florida uses spinning blades to capture moving air and turn it into electricity. Which renewable resource is this power plant using?
A. Solar energy
B. Water energy
C. Wave energy
D. Wind energy
D. Wind energy
A student performs a streak test on two different minerals. Both minerals leave a red line on the streak plate. What can the student conclude?
A. The two minerals are definitely the same because they look the same
B. The two minerals might be the same because they have the same streak color
C. The streak test does not help identify minerals at all
D. The two minerals will break in the same way when struck
B. The two minerals might be the same because they have the same streak color
A rock shows bands of different minerals and was formed deep underground under extreme heat and pressure. What type of rock is this?
A. Sedimentary rock
B. Metamorphic rock
C. Igneous rock
D. Magma rock
B. Metamorphic rock
Water enters a crack in a rock and freezes during winter. Over time, the ice pushes the rock apart and breaks it into pieces. What process is this an example of?
A. Weathering
B. Sedimentation
C. Soil formation
D. Erosion
A. Weathering
Natural gas is used to heat homes and cook food. Why is natural gas a nonrenewable resource?
A. It produces pollution when it is burned
B. It takes millions of years to form and we use it faster than nature can replace it
C. It is used by many people around the world
D. It costs money to extract from the ground
B. It takes millions of years to form and we use it faster than nature can replace it
Which of the following is a renewable resource found in Florida?
A. Sunlight
B. Phosphate
C. Oil
D. Limestone
A. Sunlight
A student finds two minerals that look identical in color and shine. What is the best way to gather more evidence to determine whether they are the same mineral?
A. Compare their sizes
B. Test their streak and hardness
C. Weigh them only
D. Look at them from farther away
B. Test their streak and hardness
A rock forms when existing rock is changed by extreme heat and pressure without melting completely. Which type of rock forms?
A. Igneous
B. Sedimentary
C. Metamorphic
D. Magma
C. Metamorphic
A storm breaks pieces off a rocky cliff. Then, a river carries those pieces downstream. Which statement correctly describes the two processes?
A. Both actions are weathering.
B. Breaking the rock is weathering, and carrying the pieces away is erosion.
C. Breaking the rock is erosion, and carrying the pieces away is weathering.
D. Both actions are erosion.
B. Breaking the rock is weathering, and carrying the pieces away is erosion.
A city must choose between using sunlight and coal to generate electricity. Why is sunlight a more sustainable resource for long-term use?
A. Sunlight produces more pollution than coal.
B. Coal can be replaced quickly, but sunlight cannot.
C. Sunlight is naturally replenished, while coal takes millions of years to form.
D. Sunlight can only be used in Florida.
C. Sunlight is naturally replenished, while coal takes millions of years to form.
A Florida community uses phosphate to make fertilizer for farms. After the phosphate is removed from the ground, why can't nature replace it quickly?
A. Phosphate is a mineral resource that forms over very long periods of time.
B. Phosphate is made from sunlight.
C. Phosphate is a renewable resource that grows back each year.
D. Phosphate is created whenever it rains.
A. Phosphate is a mineral resource that forms over very long periods of time.