Earth: An Introduction to Physical Geology, 11e (Tarbuck)
Chapter 3 Matter and Minerals
3.1 Multiple-Choice Questions
1) ________ is the study of mineral materials.
A) Mineralogy
B) Lithology
C) Mineralosophy
D) Historical Geology
2) Which of the following is not part of the definition of a mineral?
A) Naturally occurring
B) Organic
C) Orderly crystalline structure
D) Definite chemical composition
3) Which of the following is a rock composed of nonmineral matter?
A) Granite
B) Coal
C) Limestone
D) Basalt
4) A ________ is a solid, naturally occurring, cohesive substance composed of minerals or
mineral-like materials.
A) Tetrahedron
B) Mineral
C) Rock
D) Mixture
5) An isotope of Oxygen has 8 protons, 10 neutrons, and 8 electrons. What is the atomic mass of
this isotope?
A) 16
B) 18
C) 21
D) 26
6) ________ are groups of the same kinds of atoms that cannot be broken down into other
substances by ordinary chemical means.
A) Molecules
B) Electrons
C) Elements
D) Minerals
7) What is the name of the chart that organizes elements in order of chemical properties?
A) Moh’s Hardness Scale
B) Atomic Symbols
C) Elemental Flow Chart
D) Periodic Table of Elements
8) What is the charge of a single proton?
A) +1
B) -1
C) +2
D) -3
9) What is an ion?
A) An atom that has more or fewer protons than it should
B) An atom that has more or fewer neutrons than it should
C) An atom that has more or fewer electrons than it should
10) Which is the strongest of the atomic bonds?
A) Ionic
B) Covalent
C) Metallic
D) Hybrid
11) According to the Octet Rule, atoms tend to gain, lose, or share electrons until they are
surrounded by ________ valence electrons.
A) 2
B) 6
C) 8
D) 10
12) Which of the following is not one of the three primary ways minerals can form?
A) Metamorphism
B) Precipitation
C) Crystallization of molten material
D) Biological Processes
13) Crystallization of molten rock will produce ________ rocks.
A) Metamorphic
B) Igneous
C) Sedimentary
14) What mineral substance will most marine organisms produce?
A) SiO2
B) SO2
C) H2CO3
D) CaCO3
15) As long as an aqueous solution has not reached the saturation point, why won’t the ions join
to create mineral crystals?
A) The opposite charges of the ions repel each other
B) The ions are too close together to form a regular internal crystalline structure
C) The motion of the dissolved ions keeps them from joining
D) There are too few ions to make any minerals
16) Which of the following is the hardest known natural substance?
A) Talc
B) Diamond
C) Quartz
D) Sapphire
17) ________ refers to a mineral’s intensity of reflected light.
A) Cleavage
B) Luster
C) Tenacity
D) Streak
18) Which identification technique would be best to identify calcite?
A) Taste
B) Streak
C) Magnetism
D) Effervescence
19) ________ is defined as a mineral’s resistance to scratching.
A) Hardness
B) Cleavage
C) Fracture
D) Streak
20) Which of the following minerals has good cleavage in two directions?
A) Halite
B) Quartz
C) Plagioclase
D) Biotite
21) Conchoidal fractures are indicative of the mineral ________.
A) Muscovite
B) Quartz
C) Fluorite
D) Olivine
22) Define the tenacity of a mineral.
A) Resistance to scratching
B) Parting along a plane of weakness
C) A specific pattern of fracturing
D) Resistance to breaking or deforming
23) Which of the following terms does not describe a form of tenacity in a mineral?
A) Malleable
B) Sectile
C) Fibrous
D) Elastic
24) Why will an iron-rich olivine have a higher density than a magnesium-rich olivine?
A) More magnesium is needed to equal the same atomic charge as iron
B) Iron-rich olivine has smaller crystals, so more of them will fit into the same area
C) Magnesium-rich olivine has more silicon, which is less dense
D) Iron has a greater atomic mass than magnesium and therefore is heavier
25) Which ions – positive ions or negative ions – tend to be larger and why?
A) Positive ions – they have more protons
B) Positive ions – they have more electrons
C) Negative ions – they have more neutrons
D) Negative ions – they have more electrons
26) ________ states that the angles between equivalent faces of crystals of the same mineral are
always the same.
A) Law of Conservation of Mass
B) Law of Constancy of Interfacial Angles
C) Law of Superposition
D) Law of Opposite Interior Angles
27) The addition of ________ influences a mineral’s color.
A) Water
B) Protons
C) Pigment
D) Trace elements
28) Only eight elements make up the vast majority of rock-forming minerals. Which of the
following elements is not one of the eight?
A) Oxygen
B) Sulfur
C) Iron
D) Potassium
29) The ________ are the mineral class that accounts for more than 90% of the Earth’s crust.
A) Silicates
B) Sulfates
C) Carbonates
D) Sulfides
30) A(n) ________ is a silicate structure where no silica tetrahedra share any oxygen ions.
A) Single Chain
B) Double Chain
C) Framework
D) Independent
31) Silica tetrahedra are able to link into long chains that share oxygen ions through the process
of ________.
A) Isolation
B) Precipitation
C) Fission
D) Polymerization
32) Ferromagnesian minerals are those that contain a great deal of ________.
A) Manganese and Iron
B) Potassium and Aluminum
C) Magnesium and Iron
D) Calcium and Silicon
33) What are the two groups of feldspar minerals called?
A) Microcline and Orthoclase
B) Potassium Feldspar and Plagioclase
C) Sodium and Calcium
D) Albite and Anorthite
34) Which group of minerals has two cleavages that are oriented at approximately 60° and 120°?
A) Pyroxenes
B) Potassium Feldspars
C) Amphiboles
D) Galena
35) Ignoring color, what is the best method to distinguish between potassium feldspar and
plagioclase feldspar?
A) Cleavage
B) Striations
C) Hardness
D) Streak
36) Which ferromagnesian mineral is believed to constitute up to 50% of the mantle?
A) Biotite
B) Amphibole
C) Olivine
D) Garnet
37) What is the mineral name for table salt?
A) Halite
B) Calcite
C) Dolomite
D) Gypsum
38) Oxides are based around which negative ion?
A) F–
B) Cl–
C) O22-
D) S–
3.2 True/False Questions
1) There can be no variation of mineral composition in order for the substance to remain the
same mineral.
2) Minerals are necessary for humans to stay alive.
3) Mercury is not a mineral because it is found in liquid form in nature.
4) A rock can be composed of almost entirely one mineral.
5) An atom is the smallest particle that cannot be split.
6) Electrons orbit around the nucleus in defined paths like planets orbit the Sun.
7) A geode contains minerals that form through biological processes.
8) Color is a reliable identification technique for minerals.
9) All minerals have cleavage.
10) Mineral samples that lack smooth-sided faces are considered crystalline.
11) Polymorphs are minerals that will have two identical mineral structures, but different
chemical compositions.
12) Graphite and diamonds are polymorphs because both are made up of carbon atoms.
13) Mineral species can be further subdivided into mineral classes.
14) The more oxygen ions that are shared in silicate minerals, the higher the oxygen-to-silicon
ratio.