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Practice Test
1) Which of the following best defines the relationship between minerals and rocks?
A) A rock has an orderly, repetitive, geometrical, internal arrangement of minerals; a
mineral is a lithified or consolidated aggregate of rocks.
B) A mineral consists of atoms arranged in a geometrically repetitive structure; in a rock,
the atoms are randomly bonded without any geometric pattern.
C) In a mineral, atoms are bonded in a regular, repetitive, internal structure; a rock is a
lithified or consolidated aggregate of mineral grains.
D) A rock consists of atoms bonded in a regular, geometrically predictable arrangement;
a mineral is a consolidated aggregate of rock particles.
2) The appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of a mineral is known as
________.
A) cleavage
B) luster
C) specific gravity
D) streak
3) Which of the following minerals is a silicate (a mineral containing a silicon-bearing
ion)?
A) hematite
B) feldspar
C) calcite
D) halite
4) The ion at the center of a silicon—oxygen tetrahedron is surrounded by ________.
A) 4 oxygen ions
B) 6 oxygen ions
C) 4 sodium ions
D) 6 sodium ions
5) The resistance of a mineral to scratching or abrasion is known as ________.
A) luster
B) cleavage
C) streak
D) hardness
6) What element is the most abundant in Earth's crust by weight?
A) carbon
B) chlorine
C) oxygen
D) lead
7) An atom's mass number is 13 and its atomic number is 6. How many neutrons are in its
nucleus?
A) 19
B) 13
C) 7
D) 6
8) An aggregate of one or more minerals is called a(n) ________.
A) atom
B) compound
C) ionic bond
D) rock
9) Limestone is most similar to the mineral ________.
A) quartz
B) gypsum
C) halite
D) calcite
10) The rock ________ is a description of how one rock may be transformed into another
kind of rock through various internal and external processes.
A) formation
B) chart
C) cycle
D) group
11) Layers in sedimentary rocks are called ________.
A) foliation
B) deposits
C) beds
D) striations
12) Rocks that contain crystals that are roughly equal in size and can be identified with
the unaided eye are said to exhibit a ________ texture.
A) fine-grained
B) coarse-grained
C) glassy
D) porphyritic
13) Which one of the following is a metamorphic rock?
A) limestone
B) shale
C) slate
D) quartz
14) Which one of the following is a sedimentary rock?
A) limestone
B) rhyolite
C) slate
D) quartz
15) Detrital sedimentary rocks are classified and named principally on the basis of
________.
A) grain size
B) location
C) rock color
D) composition
16) Mud cracks and ripple marks are common features of ________.
A) sedimentary rocks
B) igneous rocks
C) metamorphic rocks
D) minerals
17) Gravel would most likely exist in the ________ of a river.
A) dissolved load
B) suspended load
C) bed load
D) cutbank
18) ________ is the maximum load of solid particles a stream can transport in a unit of
time.
A) Capacity
B) Competence
C) Alluvium
D) Bed load
19) Calcium and sodium ions make up much of the ________ of streams.
A) dissolved load
B) suspended load
C) bed load
D) sediment
20) Streams erode downward until they reach ________.
A) their base level
B) their profile
C) an oxbow
D) the floodplain
21) External processes include weathering, mass wasting, and ________.
A) partial melting
B) erosion
C) convection
D) subduction
22) Building a dam on a stream raises its ________, causing it to cease erosion and begin
to deposit sediment.
A) angle of repose
B) aquitard
C) base level
D) headwaters
Answers
1-a 2-b 3-b 4-a 5-d 6-c 7-c 8-d 9-d 10-c 11-c 12-b 13-c 14-a 15-a 16-a
17-c 18-a 19-a 20-a 21-b 22-c