Deck 3: Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Question 1

Two different minerals may have the same chemical formula.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

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)

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Two types of bonds that depend upon polarity are ____________ and ____________.

A) hydrogen bonds; van der Waals bonds
B) ionic bonds; covalent bonds
C) hydrogen bonds; metallic bonds
D) ionic bonds; van der Waals bonds

Answer 3

A

Question 4

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
D) Neither a nor b is a mineral; however, c is a mineral.

Question 5

Which common mineral is found in most kitchens?

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

Question 6

Diamond and graphite are both polymorphs of pure silicon.

Question 7

The vast majority of minerals _____________ .

A) are quite common
B) are rare
C) form under special conditions
D) Both a and b are correct.
E) Both b and c are correct.

Question 8

Natural glass is NOT considered a mineral because it ____________.

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

Question 9

A single mineral may take on multiple crystalline lattice structures.

Question 10

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

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

Question 11

In order for glass to be a mineral,which of its properties would need to change?

A) It would need to be crystalline.
B) It would need to have an ordered arrangement of atoms.
C) It would need to be inorganic
D) Both a and b are correct.
E) Both a and c are correct.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT a mineral?

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

Question 13

Minerals in geodes (see below)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 14

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

Question 15

Five trillion atoms can fit into the head of a pin.Which of the following is in the correct order of smallest to largest?

A) atom, nucleus, proton, electron
B) electron, proton, nucleus, atom
C) proton, electron, nucleus, atom
D) atom, electron, nucleus, proton

Question 16

Minerals play an important role in ________________ .

A) our health
B) our energy use
C) the processing of many products
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 17

How is chloride different from chlorine?

A) Chloride is chlorine's anion.
B) Chloride has more electrons than chlorine.
C) Chloride has fewer protons than chlorine.
D) Both a and b are correct.
E) Both a and c are correct.

Question 18

All minerals are held together by ionic bonds.

Question 19

The New Age practice of surrounding one's self with crystals has a strong positive effect on ____________.

A) mental health
B) the immune system's response to illness
C) the prospects for world peace
D) the bank accounts of rock shop owners

Question 20

The internal ordering of mineral crystals is detected using ____________.

A) magnetic resonance imaging
B) X-ray diffraction
C) a scanning electron microscope (SEM)
D) cathodized axial tomography

Question 21

The shape of a crystal is most affected by all of the following except?

A) geometry of their internal structure
B) the angles between crystal faces
C) chemical composition of its surroundings
D) relative dimensions of the crystal

Question 22

If you were to drop a piece of calcite on the ground and a perfect cube broke off,this would be displaying calcite breaking ______________.

A) along already formed cracks
B) coincidentally as a perfect cube
C) in a fracture pattern
D) along weak bonds

Question 23

In nature most examples of minerals do NOT grow as large,well-formed,euhedral crystals.

Question 24

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

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a way crystals can form?

A) solidification of a melt
B) precipitation from solution
C) solid-state diffusion
D) biomineralization
E) All of the above are ways crystals can form.

Question 26

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 a hand sample among crystals
C) less variable than the color in a hand sample among crystals
D) always dark brown or black

Question 27

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

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

Question 28

Which of the following minerals is hardest?

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

Question 29

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 30

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

Question 31

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

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

Question 32

In order for diamond to become graphite,what would need to occur?

A) The carbon atoms would need to be bonded in sheets.
B) The carbon atoms would need to be bonded in tetrahedra.
C) The bonds would need to weaken.
D) Both a and c are correct.
E) Both b and c are correct.

Question 33

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

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

Question 34

The ____________ of new solid grains called _____________ results from oversaturated solutions.

A) precipitate; precipitation
B) precipitation; precipitate

Question 35

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

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

Question 36

The most recently formed portion of any crystal is always found ____________.

A) deep within the interior
B) on the outer edges

Question 37

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 38

With regard to minerals,hardness refers to ____________.

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

Question 39

Minerals can be destroyed by ___________ .

A) melting
B) chemical reactions
C) dissolving
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 40

Which of the following minerals is softest?

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

Question 41

What is not required for the production of diamonds?

A) carbon
B) extreme temperatures and pressures
C) subduction or collision
D) graphite

Question 42

Minerals are classified into groups known as mineral classes primarily on a 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) number of cleavage directions present

Question 43

Which common gemstone results from biomineralization?

A) diamonds
B) garnets
C) pearls
D) sapphires

Question 44

The diamonds we see today do not display their natural crystal faces,but rather ____________,a typical engagement ring bearing 57 of them.

A) faces
B) facets
C) cleavage planes
D) facades

Question 45

Which two gems are special versions of the common mineral corundum (Al₂O₃)?

A) emeralds and rubies
B) emeralds and sapphires
C) aquamarines and emeralds
D) sapphires and rubies

Question 46

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

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

Question 47

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 48

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

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

Question 49

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

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

Question 50

____________ is a mineral property defined by the density of the mineral sample divided by the density of water (1g/cm³).

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

Question 51

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 52

Why might diamonds be found in other locations besides kimberlite pipes?

A) erosion and transportation by rivers
B) transportation by glaciers
C) transportation by the meteorites
D) Both a and b are correct.
E) Both a and c are correct.

Question 53

Most commercially exploited metals are extracted from the ground as native elements.

Question 54

Silicates form their own mineral class and there are many examples of silicate minerals,most of which look dissimilar to each other.Which of the following does not cause these dissimilarities?

A) the number of oxygen atoms in their internal structure
B) the ratio of silicon and oxygen atoms in their internal structure
C) the way the silica tetrahedra are arranged in their internal structure
D) the environment in which they form

Question 55

If humans were able to see a wider range of wavelengths,which physical property/properties of minerals would be affected?

A) color
B) streak
C) luster
D) Both a and b are correct.
E) Both a and c are correct.

Question 56

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

A) long one-dimensional chains
B) extensive two-dimensional sheets
C) massive three-dimensional frameworks
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 57

Some gemstones are simply prettier versions of common minerals.What makes them special in comparison to their more lackluster versions?

A) their color
B) the way light passes through the mineral
C) the chemical composition of the mineral
D) Both a and b are correct.
E) Both a and c are correct.

Question 58

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

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

Question 59

The silicate 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 60

Diamonds are usually found in pipes 50 to 200 m across made of _____________.

A) kimberlite
B) graphite
C) metamorphic rocks