1. Which of the following is a mineral as defined by a geologist?

a) Boulder

b) Concrete

c) Sugar

d) Salt

e) Water

2. Why are boulders not a mineral?

a) They are not naturally occurring

b) They are organic

c) They are not solid

d) They do not have an orderly crystalline structure

e) They do not have a well-defined chemicalcomposition

3. What determines the physical and chemical properties of an atom?

a) The type of bonds

b) The number of electrons

c) The number of protons

d) The number of neutrons

e) The isotopic ratio

4. One significant difference between an ionic bond, where electrons are taken from one atom and added to another atom and a covalent or metallic bond where electrons are shared is ___________.

a) ionic bonds are stronger than covalent or metallic bonds

b) Ionic bonds produce ions but covalent and metallic bonds do not produce ions

c) Ionic bonds make a material more malleable than covalent and metallic bonds

d) Ionic bonds do not result in the attraction of oppositely charged atoms but covalent and metallic bonds do

5. What is the most abundant element found near the surface of Earth?

a) Potassium

b) Silicon

c) Calcium

d) Oxygen

e) Hydrogen

6. What do the minerals gold, sulfur, and copper have in common?

a) Covalent bonds

b) They have the same density and hardness

c) They are each composed of a single element

d) They all transmit electricity easily because of their bonds

7. The silicon-oxygen tetrahedran, the most fundamental basis for forming minerals, contains:

a) Four oxygen atoms and one silicon atom

b) Four silicon atoms and one oxygen atom

c) Three silicon atoms and one oxygen atom

d) One silicon atom, one oxygen atom, one iron atom, and one magnesium atom

8. Which group does feldspar, one of the most common minerals near the surface of Earth, belong to?

a) Carbonates

b) Oxides

c) Silicates

d) Evaporates

e) Sulfides

9. The definition of an ore deposit depends greatly on ___________ and ___________.

a) The presence of metallic bonds and concentration of the mineral

b) The presence of metallic bonds and the economics of recovering the mineral

c) The concentration of the mineral and the location of the deposit

d) The economics of recovering the mineral and the concentration of the deposit

10. The strong tendency of certain minerals to break along smooth, parallel planes is known as_________.

a) crystal form

b) cracking luster

c) streak

d) cleavage

11. An atom's mass number is 13 and its atomic number is 6. How many neutrons are in its nucleus?

a) 7

b) 6

c) 13

d) 19

12. The ion at the center of a silicon-oxygen tetrahedron is surrounded by_____.

a) four sodium atoms

b) four oxygen atoms

c) six oxygen atoms

d) six sodium ions

13. Atoms of the same element, zinc for example, have the same number of ________.

a) neutrons in the outer nuclear shell

b) protons in the nucleus

c) electrons in the valence bond level

d) electrons in the nucleus

14. Which of the following is correct for isotopes of the same element?

a) the atoms have different numbers of electrons but the same number of neutrons

b) the atoms have different numbers of protons and the same number of neutrons

c) the atoms have different numbers of neutrons and the same number of protons

d) the atoms have the same number of electrons and different numbers of protons

15. Atoms that have an electric charge due to a gain or loss of electrons are called__.

a) isochrons

b) ions

c) periodic elements

d) isotopes