ESTUDYR
PHYS 203 – Exam 2 Study Questions: Multiple Choice
Format with Rationales
1. What is the study of minerals called?
A. Petrology
B. Mineralogy ✅
C. Geology
D. Crystallography
Rationale: Mineralogy is specifically the study of minerals, including their properties,
structures, and classification.
2. A naturally occurring solid inorganic object with a definite chemical structure is called a:
A. Rock
B. Mineral ✅
C. Fossil
D. Magma
Rationale: Minerals are defined by their naturally occurring, inorganic nature, solid state, and
definite chemical composition.
3. Which property is considered the least reliable in identifying a mineral?
A. Hardness
B. Streak
C. Color ✅
D. Cleavage
Rationale: Color can be influenced by impurities and is therefore the least reliable diagnostic
property.
4. The color of a mineral in its powdered form is called:
A. Luster
B. Transparency
C. Streak ✅
D. Tenacity
Rationale: Streak refers to the color of the powdered mineral and is more consistent than
surface color.
5. How a mineral reflects light is referred to as:
A. Transparency
B. Luster ✅
C. Cleavage
D. Habit
Rationale: Luster describes the way light interacts with a mineral's surface, e.g., metallic or
non-metallic.
,ESTUDYR
6. The way a mineral transmits light is described by:
A. Transparency, opacity, translucency ✅
B. Luster
C. Hardness
D. Tenacity
Rationale: These terms define whether light passes through a mineral completely, partially, or
not at all.
7. Resistance to rubbing or scratching in minerals is called:
A. Cleavage
B. Hardness ✅
C. Tenacity
D. Habit
Rationale: Hardness quantifies a mineral's resistance to abrasion.
8. Resistance to breaking or deforming is called:
A. Cleavage
B. Tenacity ✅
C. Fracture
D. Hardness
Rationale: Tenacity measures how a mineral responds to stress, bending, or breaking.
9. Which scale quantifies the hardness of minerals?
A. Mohs scale ✅
B. Richter scale
C. Mercalli scale
D. Wentworth scale
Rationale: Mohs scale ranks minerals from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest).
10. The softest mineral on the Mohs scale is:
A. Talc ✅
B. Gypsum
C. Diamond
D. Quartz
Rationale: Talc is the least hard mineral, rated 1 on Mohs scale.
11. The hardest mineral on the Mohs scale is:
A. Corundum
B. Quartz
C. Diamond ✅
D. Topaz
Rationale: Diamond ranks 10 on Mohs scale and is the hardest naturally occurring mineral.
, ESTUDYR
12. A mineral that breaks easily is described as:
A. Malleable
B. Brittle ✅
C. Tenacious
D. Flexible
Rationale: Brittle minerals fracture easily under stress.
13. A mineral that can be molded or shaped easily is:
A. Brittle
B. Malleable ✅
C. Cleavage
D. Hard
Rationale: Malleability refers to a mineral's ability to deform without breaking.
14. Which property does NOT have a quantitative scale?
A. Hardness
B. Tenacity ✅
C. Density
D. Mohs scale
Rationale: Tenacity is qualitative, unlike hardness, which is measured on Mohs scale.
15. The crystal geometry of a mineral when it breaks is called:
A. Fracture
B. Cleavage ✅
C. Habit
D. Luster
Rationale: Cleavage describes how minerals break along planes of weak atomic bonding.
16. Which of the following is a correct way to identify a mineral?
A. Mineral name, chemical name ✅
B. Color only
C. Rock type
D. Volatile content
Rationale: A mineral is identified by both its common name and its chemical composition.
17. The crystal geometry a mineral forms without confinement is called:
A. Habit ✅
B. Cleavage
C. Fracture
D. Tenacity
Rationale: Habit refers to the natural shape of a mineral crystal in open space.
18. Which mineral property is mostly not realized in common observation?
A. Luster
PHYS 203 – Exam 2 Study Questions: Multiple Choice
Format with Rationales
1. What is the study of minerals called?
A. Petrology
B. Mineralogy ✅
C. Geology
D. Crystallography
Rationale: Mineralogy is specifically the study of minerals, including their properties,
structures, and classification.
2. A naturally occurring solid inorganic object with a definite chemical structure is called a:
A. Rock
B. Mineral ✅
C. Fossil
D. Magma
Rationale: Minerals are defined by their naturally occurring, inorganic nature, solid state, and
definite chemical composition.
3. Which property is considered the least reliable in identifying a mineral?
A. Hardness
B. Streak
C. Color ✅
D. Cleavage
Rationale: Color can be influenced by impurities and is therefore the least reliable diagnostic
property.
4. The color of a mineral in its powdered form is called:
A. Luster
B. Transparency
C. Streak ✅
D. Tenacity
Rationale: Streak refers to the color of the powdered mineral and is more consistent than
surface color.
5. How a mineral reflects light is referred to as:
A. Transparency
B. Luster ✅
C. Cleavage
D. Habit
Rationale: Luster describes the way light interacts with a mineral's surface, e.g., metallic or
non-metallic.
,ESTUDYR
6. The way a mineral transmits light is described by:
A. Transparency, opacity, translucency ✅
B. Luster
C. Hardness
D. Tenacity
Rationale: These terms define whether light passes through a mineral completely, partially, or
not at all.
7. Resistance to rubbing or scratching in minerals is called:
A. Cleavage
B. Hardness ✅
C. Tenacity
D. Habit
Rationale: Hardness quantifies a mineral's resistance to abrasion.
8. Resistance to breaking or deforming is called:
A. Cleavage
B. Tenacity ✅
C. Fracture
D. Hardness
Rationale: Tenacity measures how a mineral responds to stress, bending, or breaking.
9. Which scale quantifies the hardness of minerals?
A. Mohs scale ✅
B. Richter scale
C. Mercalli scale
D. Wentworth scale
Rationale: Mohs scale ranks minerals from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest).
10. The softest mineral on the Mohs scale is:
A. Talc ✅
B. Gypsum
C. Diamond
D. Quartz
Rationale: Talc is the least hard mineral, rated 1 on Mohs scale.
11. The hardest mineral on the Mohs scale is:
A. Corundum
B. Quartz
C. Diamond ✅
D. Topaz
Rationale: Diamond ranks 10 on Mohs scale and is the hardest naturally occurring mineral.
, ESTUDYR
12. A mineral that breaks easily is described as:
A. Malleable
B. Brittle ✅
C. Tenacious
D. Flexible
Rationale: Brittle minerals fracture easily under stress.
13. A mineral that can be molded or shaped easily is:
A. Brittle
B. Malleable ✅
C. Cleavage
D. Hard
Rationale: Malleability refers to a mineral's ability to deform without breaking.
14. Which property does NOT have a quantitative scale?
A. Hardness
B. Tenacity ✅
C. Density
D. Mohs scale
Rationale: Tenacity is qualitative, unlike hardness, which is measured on Mohs scale.
15. The crystal geometry of a mineral when it breaks is called:
A. Fracture
B. Cleavage ✅
C. Habit
D. Luster
Rationale: Cleavage describes how minerals break along planes of weak atomic bonding.
16. Which of the following is a correct way to identify a mineral?
A. Mineral name, chemical name ✅
B. Color only
C. Rock type
D. Volatile content
Rationale: A mineral is identified by both its common name and its chemical composition.
17. The crystal geometry a mineral forms without confinement is called:
A. Habit ✅
B. Cleavage
C. Fracture
D. Tenacity
Rationale: Habit refers to the natural shape of a mineral crystal in open space.
18. Which mineral property is mostly not realized in common observation?
A. Luster
