Download Possible Test Questions

Rock Test Questions
Multiple Choice: Choose the best answer to the following questions.
1. The chart that shows how one rock can change into another is called
a. The metamorphic cycle.
b. The mineral cycle.
c. The clastic cycle.
d. The rock cycle.
2. During the rock cycle, what forms when magma cools?
a. sedimentary rock
b. igneous rock
c. metamorphic rock
d. foliated rock
3. Because igneous rocks are extremely hard, they cannot be changed into sedimentary or
metamorphic rocks.
a. True
b. False
4. It is possible for sedimentary rock to be changed into
a. Igneous rock.
b. Metamorphic rock.
c. Both a and b.
d. Neither…sedimentary rock cannot be changed.
5. What has to increase for metamorphism to occur?
a. weathering and erosion
b. temperature and pressure
c. melting and cooling
d. compaction and cementation
6. When a rock undergoes heat and pressure, the minerals inside it may line up to form
layers.
a. True
b. false
7. When magma cools quickly, what kind of texture or crystals does a rock have?
a. coarse-grained or large crystals
b. a mixture of all types of grains or sizes of crystals
c. medium-grained or medium crystals
d. fine-grained or small crystals
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8. Why do some igneous rocks have holes?
a. Fossils were trapped in the magma when the rock cooled, and then eroded away.
b. The holes are the result of the extreme pressure that igneous rocks undergo.
c. The holes are the result of the extreme heat that igneous rocks undergo.
d. Bubbles of air were trapped in the rock when it cooled quickly.
9. Sedimentary rock is formed through the process of ____
a. cementation
b. stratification.
c. erosion.
d. foliation.
10. The process in which sediment is dropped and comes to rest is called
a. stratification.
b. cementation.
c. foliation.
d. deposition.
11. Sedimentary rock is formed when fragments of other rocks are compacted together.
a. True
b. False
12. Where are sedimentary rocks most likely to be found?
a. At the earth’s surface
b. Under mountain ranges.
c. Deep under the earth’s surface, in the mantle.
d. Inside the earth’s core
13. Geologists divide rocks into three groups: metamorphic, sedimentary, and
a. Clastic
b. Minerals.
c. Igneous.
d. Magma.
14. Scientists classify rocks by
a. Color and size
b. Mass and volume
c. Composition and texture
d. Smell and taste
15. Your rock sample is tan in color, fine-grained, and contains fossils. Your rock is most
likely a
a. Sedimentary rock.
b. Igneous rock.
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c. Metamorphic rock.
d. Mineral.
16. Your rock sample is red, dull, fine-grained and full of holes. Your rock is most likely a
a. Sedimentary rock.
b. Igneous rock.
c. Metamorphic rock.
d. Mineral.
17. Your rock sample is multi-colored, coarse-grained, shiny, and has layers. Your rock is
most likely a
a. Sedimentary rock.
b. Igneous rock.
c. Metamorphic rock.
d. Mineral.
Short Answer:
18. Describe how an igneous rock that formed from magma cooling quickly will differ
from an igneous rock that formed from magma cooling slowly.
Quick cooling magma results in small crystals or fine-grained texture, whereas slow cooling
magma results in large crystals or coarse-grained texture.
19. Why are sedimentary rocks more likely to contain fossils than other types of rock?
Igneous rocks are formed by the cooling of molten rock and metamorphic rocks are
formed by extreme temperatures and pressure. Both of these formation processes
are likely to destroy fossils, whereas sedimentary rocks formed by cementation and
compaction are less likely to destroy fossils.
20. Create a visual to explain the rock cycle to someone unfamiliar with it. Use
pictures and words. Add any descriptions necessary to clarify the changes that
rocks undergo. Try to use at least 10 key ideas or terms or concepts.
The processes by which new rocks form from older rock material is called the rock
cycle. A parent rock may undergo weathering thereby creating sediments that can
be eroded away and eventually deposited in a different location This material can
then be compacted and cemented together to form a sedimentary rock. A parent
rock may undergo melting, becoming magma (molten rock) and then cool into an
igneous rock. A parent rock may undergo extreme heat and pressure and partially
melt changing the composition of the rock which results in a metamorphic rock.
What processes the parent rock undergoes depends upon its location (Earth’s
surface or deep within the Earth) and the parent rock (whether, sedimentary,
igneous, or metamorphic) can become any type of rock.
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