Rocks and Minerals Test

Name ______________________________________Period___________

Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer.

1. The “basic building blocks” of rocks are ___________________.

a. elements b. compounds
c. minerals d. crystal

2. When minerals form a definite shape and their surfaces have

faces, we say the mineral has formed a(n) _____________________.

a. elements b. compounds
c. minerals d. crystal

3. Rocks made from hot melted rock that cools and hardens
are called
_____________________ rocks.

a. sedimentary b. compound
c. igneous d. metamorphic

4. The process where rocks change from one type of a rock to

another type
of rock over and over again is called the
__________________________.

a. rock cycle b. carbon cycle

c. endless cycle d. nitrogen cycle

5. A dinosaur footprint found in a rock is called a

___________________.

a. mineral b. fossil
c. compound d. sediment

6. Melted rock found beneath the Earth’s surface is called

____________.

a. magma b. heated rock

c. lava d. fragment rock
Rocks and Minerals Test
Page 2

7. Rocks that have been changed by intense heat and/or

pressure are called _______________________rocks.

a. sedimentary b. compound
c. igneous d. metamorphic

8. Small pieces of rock, mud, sand, clay and silt that are carried
by water from one place to another are called
________________________.

a. fossils b. alloys
c. germs d. sediments

9. Rocks that form when layers of sand, silt, clay and mud are
pressed and
cemented together are called ___________________rocks.

a. sedimentary b. compound
c. igneous d. metamorphic

10. The process where rocks are broken down by rain, wind,
heat and cold is called ____________________.

a. compaction b. deposition
c. erosion d. transport

11. If a melted rock were to cool very quickly, where would it

most likely have been located when it cooled?

a. deep beneath the Earth’s surface b. any place,

anywhere
c. on top of the Earth’s surface d. inside the
Earth

12. What is the difference between a mineral and a rock?

___________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Rocks and Minerals Test

Page 3

13. Name five things in your school building that come from
minerals.

1. __________________________ 2.__________________________

3.___________________________ 4. _________________________

5. ___________________________

Rock Observation:
Write down the letter of the alphabet assigned to your rock.
___________

Describe 3 different characteristics (properties) of this rock that

could be used to help identify what type of rock it is. (HINT:
texture, luster, grain size, bands of color, crystal shape. What
else?)

1. __________________________________________________________

2. __________________________________________________________

3. __________________________________________________________

What type of rock do you believe you have? Circle one.

a. sedimentary rock b. igneous rock

c. metamorphic rock d. a mineral, not a
rock
MINERAL IDENTIFICATION

In the space below, record information about the mineral you

have been given.

1. Color ______________________________________

2. Luster ______________________________________

3. Texture _____________________________________

4. Streak Color _________________________________

5. Hardness ____________________________________

Rocks and Minerals Test

Page 4

Look at the chart below. What mineral do you believe you have?
Circle one.

A B C D E F

Mineral Identification Chart

MINERAL COLOR LUSTER STREAK HARDNESS
A Graysilver Shiny Grayblack 2.5

B Bluegreen Glassy White 4

Violet
C Clear, Glassy White 7
white,
pink, purple
D White, Greasy, White 1
Green Dull
Yellow,
Cream
E Grayblack Dull Gray 1
F Clear, Silky White 2
White,
Yellow
The Rock Cycle
As you know there are three types of rocks: igneous, metamorphic, and
sedimentary. Write the correct word in the blank next to the rock type. Also, place the
terms sediments and molten rock in the correct places. There are several different
processes in the rock cycle which cause rocks to change form. Write the terms melting,
heat and pressure, compaction and cementation, solidifying, weathering and erosion
in the correct blanks. Fill in these terms as you proceed in a clockwise direction on the
diagram.

Rock Cycle