Name: ____________________________ Date: ________ Pd.

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Rocks and Mineral Practice

1. Which land-derived sedimentary rock could have

formed by the compaction and cementation of
particles smaller than 0.0003 centimeter in diameter?
(A) sandstone (B) shale
(C) limestone (D) siltstone

2. Which mineral is composed of Calcium and

Fluorine?
(A) Amphiboles (B) Fluorite
(C) Hematite (D) Calcite

3. Which mineral will scratch fluorite, galena, and

pyroxene?
(A) dolomite (B) olivine
(C) calcite (D) graphite

4. A mineral's physical characteristics, such as

hardness, cleavage, and luster, are dependent on the
(A) age of the mineral sample
(B) size of the mineral sample
(C) method by which the mineral sample was
broken
(D) internal arrangement of the mineral's atoms

5. Which process could lead directly to the formation

of pumice rock?
(A) deposition of quartz sand
(B) explosive eruption of lava from a volcano
(C) precipitation of minerals from evaporating
seawater
(D) metamorphism of unmelted rock material

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6. Base your answer to the following question on the block diagrams of four rock outcrops, A, B, C,
and D, located within 15 kilometers of each other. The rock layers have not been overturned.

By which process was the quartzite formed?

(A) precipitation from seawater (B) cementation of shells
(C) deposition of clastic sediment (D) metamorphism of sandstone

7. A human fingernail has a hardness of approximately 10. Which element, found in both biotite mica and
2.5. Which two minerals are softer than a human muscovite mica, makes up the greatest percent by
fingernail? volume of Earth's crust?
(A) sulfur and fluorite (A) nitrogen (B) silicon
(B) graphite and talc (C) potassium (D) oxygen
(C) calcite and halite
(D) pyrite and magnetite
11. The diagram below shows a rock with deformed
structure and intergrown crystals.
8. Which process led to the formation of thick salt
deposits found in the bedrock at some locations in
New York State?
(A) runoff (B) melting
(C) condensation (D) evaporation
The rock was probably formed by
(A) volcanic lava that cooled on Earth's surface
9. Which mineral is commonly mined as a source of (B) sediments that were deposited on the ocean
the element lead (Pb)? floor
(A) gypsum (B) quartz (C) a meteor impact on Earth's surface
(C) magnetite (D) galena (D) heat and pressure that changed a preexisting
rock

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12. Where are the Earth's sedimentary rocks generally 16. Dolostone is classified as which type of rock?
found?
(A) foliated metamorphic rock
(A) deep within the Earth's crust (B) nonfoliated metamorphic rock
(B) as a thin layer covering much of the (C) chemically formed sedimentary rock
continents (D) land-derived sedimentary rock
(C) in regions of recent volcanic activity
(D) along the mid-ocean ridges
17. Which sedimentary rock could form as a result of
evaporation?
13. Base your answer to the following question on the
(A) shale (B) limestone
photograph below. The photograph shows several
(C) conglomerate (D) sandstone
broken samples of the same colorless mineral.

18. Which material is made mostly of the mineral

quartz?
(A) sulfuric acid (B) pencil lead
(C) window glass (D) plaster of paris

19. Which of the following elements is not found in

Plagioclase Feldspar?
(A) Al (B) Na (C) Pb (D) Si

Which physical property of this mineral is most

easily seen in the photograph? 20. Which mineral can be found in granite, andesite,
gneiss, and hornfels?
(A) streak (B) cleavage
(C) fracture (D) hardness (A) pyroxene (B) biotite mica
(C) olivine (D) quartz

14. The minerals talc, muscovite mica, quartz, and

olivine are similar because they
(A) have the same hardness
(B) are the same color
(C) break along cleavage planes
(D) contain silicon and oxygen

15. The best evidence for determining the cooling rate

of an igneous rock during its solidification is
provided by
(A) the disintegration of radioactive substances
(B) index fossils
(C) faults in the rock
(D) the crystal size of its minerals

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21. The photograph below shows the texture of a rock 23. Base your answer to the following question on the
composed of various minerals as seen through a pictures of four rocks shown below. Magnified
microscope. views of the rocks are shown in the circles.

Which rock is most likely shown above?

(A) anthracite coal (B) sandstone
(C) dunite (D) schist

22. Rhyolite is an example of a

(A) polymineralic igneous rock
(B) polymineralic sedimentary rock
Which rock is metamorphic and shows evidence of
(C) monomineralic igneous rock
foliation?
(D) monomineralic sedimentary rock
(A) 1 (B) 2 (C) 3 (D) 4

24. Which process most likely formed a layer of the

sedimentary rock, gypsum?
(A) folding of clay-sized particles
(B) precipitation from seawater
(C) solidification of magma
(D) melting of sand-sized particles

25. Rocks can be classified as sedimentary, igneous, or

metamorphic based primarily upon differences in
their
(A) age (B) color
(C) density (D) origin

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26. Base your answer to the following question on the graph below, which shows the crustal
temperature and pressure conditions under which three different minerals with the same chemical
composition (Al 2SiO5) crystallize.

Under which crustal temperature and pressure conditions will andalusite form?
(A) 700°C and 8000 atmospheres (B) 500°C and 2000 atmospheres
(C) 600°C and 4000 atmospheres (D) 300°C and 6000 atmospheres

27. Which rock is composed of the mineral halite that formed when seawater evaporated?
(A) dolostone (B) limestone (C) rock salt (D) rock gypsum

28. Which characteristic of nonsedimentary rocks

would provide the least evidence about the
environment in which the rocks were formed?
(A) structure
(B) mineral composition
(C) color
(D) crystal size

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29. Base your answer to the following question on the diagram below, which represents a rock
composed of cemented pebbles and sand.

This rock should be classified as

(A) a bioclastic sedimentary rock (B) an extrusive igneous rock
(C) a clastic sedimentary rock (D) an intrusive igneous rock

30. Which mineral is the major component of drywall? 32. The diagram below shows four rock samples.
(A) muscovite mica (B) talc
(C) calcite (D) selenite gypsum

31. Although more than 2,000 minerals have been

identified, 90% of Earth's lithosphere is composed
of the 12 minerals listed below. Which sample best shows the physical properties
normally associated with regional metamorphism?
(A) A (B) B (C) C (D) D

33. Which igneous rock has a vesicular texture and a

felsic composition?
(A) pumice (B) granite
The best explanation for this fact is that most rocks (C) scoria (D) basalt
(A) are composed only of recrystallized minerals
(B) have a 10% nonmineral composition 34. In which group do the rocks usually have the
(C) are monomineralic mineral quartz as part of their composition?
(D) have a number of minerals in common (A) granite, rhyolite, sandstone, hornfels
(B) conglomerate, gabbro, rock salt, schist
(C) breccia, fossel limestone, bituminous coal,
siltstone
(D) shale, scoria, gneiss, metaconglomerate

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35. Base your answer to the following question on the table below, which shows the characteristics of
four different mineral samples.

Which two mineral samples most likely have a similar internal arrangement of atoms?
(A) gold and halite (B) gold and galena
(C) galena and halite (D) galena and quartz

36. Limestone is a sedimentary rock which may form

as a result of
(A) metamorphism
(B) recrystallization
(C) biologic processes
(D) melting

37. The table below shows some properties of four different minerals.

The minerals listed in the table are varieties of which mineral?

(A) olivine (B) garnet (C) magnetite (D) quartz

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38. Base your answer to the following question on the map and cross section below. The shaded areas
on the map represent regions of the United States that have evaporite rock layers (layers of rock
formed from the evaporation of seawater) under the surface bedrock. The cross section shows the
generalized structure of the area in which the evaporite layers are found in New York State.

These evaporite deposits could be composed of which minerals?

(A) hornblende and olivine (B) garnet and pyroxene
(C) halite and gypsum (D) mica and feldspar

39. How are the minerals biotite mica and muscovite 40. Which diagram best represents a sample of the
mica different? metamorphic rock gneiss? [Diagrams show actual
size.]
(A) Biotite mica is colorless, but muscovite mica
is not. (A)
(B) Biotite mica contains iron and/or magnesium,
but muscovite mica does not.
(C) Muscovite mica scratches quartz, but biotite
mica does not.
(D) Muscovite mica cleaves into thin sheets, but (B)
biotite mica does not.

(C)

(D)

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41. The cartoon below presents a humorous look at
history.

What kind of rocks does the complaining rock

collector want?
(A) felsic volcanic rocks
(B) inorganic sedimentary rocks
(C) clastic sedimentary rocks
(D) regionally metamorphosed rocks

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42. Base your answer to the following question on the graph below and on your knowledge of Earth
science.

The graph shows the temperature, pressure, and depth environments for the formation of the three
major rock types. Pressure is shown in kilobars (kb). Letters A through D identify different
environmental conditions for rock formation.

At what pressure and temperature is sand most likely to be compacted into sandstone?
(A) 2 kb and 150°C (B) 6 kb and 200°C
(C) 10 kb and 400°C (D) 12 kb and 900°C

43. Which group lists rocks in order by grain size from

smallest to largest?
(A) shale, sandstone, conglomerate
(B) shale, conglomerate, sandstone
(C) sandstone, shale, conglomerate
(D) conglomerate, sandstone, shale

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44. The graph below shows the depth and temperature conditions in Earth's interior under which
carbon becomes either the mineral graphite or the mineral diamond.

Compared to the depth and temperature conditions under which graphite forms, describe the
difference in the relative depth and relative temperature conditions under which most diamonds
form.

45. Base your answer to the following question on the cross section below and on your knowledge of
Earth science. The cross section represents rock formations that exist in the southwestern part of
the United States. Names of the faults and rock units are indicated on the diagram.

Formation A consists of three thin sandstone lavers interbedded with shale layers. Hornfels and
quartzite are found at the top of formation A. Describe how the hornfels and quartzite formed.

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46. Base your answer to the following question on the rock cycle diagram below.

State the specific names of rocks A, B, and C in the diagram. Do not write the terms
"sedimentary," "igneous," and "metamorphic."

47. Base your answer to the following question on the cross section below. Letters A through H
represent rock units in which overturning has not occurred.

State the diameter of a particle normally found in rock unit B.

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48. Base your answer to the following question on the information below.

A student on a field trip in New York State collected a sample of metamorphic bedrock
containing bands of coarse-grained crystals of plagioclase feldspar, pyroxene, quartz, and mica.
Identify the metamorphic rock found by the student.

49. Base your answer to the following question on

the passage below.

Carbon

Carbon may be the most important element on our planet because it is the chemical building
block of all living things. The element carbon is formed in dying stars and scattered when the
stars explode. Our solar system formed from such star remnants. Pure carbon comes in several
forms, which include the minerals graphite and diamond (hardness = 10), and the fossil fuels
bituminous coal and anthracite coal. Almost all diamonds are mined from igneous rocks that
originate at an approximate depth of 150 kilometers under immense pressure. Most graphite is
formed through the metamorphism of organic material in rocks closer to Earth's surface.
Identify two uses for the mineral graphite.

50. A family wants to use rock materials as flooring in the entrance of their new house. They have
narrowed their choice to granite or marble. Which of these rocks is more resistant to the physical
wear of foot traffic and explain why this rock is more resistant.

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