Students complete nine sentences about granite used in countertops because of its hardness, limestone's role in making cement, and graphite's use in pencil cores. The matching activity pairs hardness, streak, luster, and cleavage with their precise mineral identification property definitions.
Matching mineral properties to definitions reinforces the multi-property identification system that distinguishes reliable geology from guessing by surface color alone.
Style:
Rocks and Minerals
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. Granite is commonly used for kitchen countertops because it is very hard.
2. Limestone is used to make cement, a key ingredient in concrete.
3. Graphite, a soft mineral, is used in pencils to make the writing core.
4. A mineral that can scratch glass has a hardness greater than 5 on the Mohs scale.
5. Quartz is one of the most common minerals found in Earth's crust.
6. The way a mineral breaks along flat surfaces is called cleavage.
7. Hematite is an iron ore with a red streak even though it looks gray or black.
8. Metamorphic rocks often have bands or layers of different minerals.
9. Chalk is a soft sedimentary rock made from the shells of tiny sea creatures.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
hardness
→ how a mineral resists being scratched
how a mineral breaks along flat planes
streak
→ color of powder left on a tile
how a mineral resists being scratched
luster
→ how a mineral reflects light
color of powder left on a tile
cleavage
→ how a mineral breaks along flat planes
how a mineral reflects light
Rocks and Minerals
★ Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1) Granite is commonly used for kitchen countertops because it is very hard.
2) Limestone is used to make cement, a key ingredient in concrete.
3) Graphite, a soft mineral, is used in pencils to make the writing core.
4) A mineral that can scratch glass has a hardness greater than 5 on the Mohs scale.
5) Quartz is one of the most common minerals found in Earth's crust.
6) The way a mineral breaks along flat surfaces is called cleavage.
7) Hematite is an iron ore with a red streak even though it looks gray or black.
8) Metamorphic rocks often have bands or layers of different minerals.
9) Chalk is a soft sedimentary rock made from the shells of tiny sea creatures.
★ Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1) Match each item to its correct answer.
hardness
→ how a mineral resists being scratched
how a mineral breaks along flat planes
streak
→ color of powder left on a tile
how a mineral resists being scratched
luster
→ how a mineral reflects light
color of powder left on a tile
cleavage
→ how a mineral breaks along flat planes
how a mineral reflects light
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10 Questions
10-15 minutes
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