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6th grade Identify a mineral from its properties worksheet

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Identify a mineral from its properties

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Read this first

    USGS; NASA

    minerallooksstreak
    pyritegold-likedark green to black
    goldgoldgolden yellow
    hematitedark and metallicred-brown
    magnetitedark and metallicblack-gray

    Beside it, the rock-cycle boxes: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic (minerals make up all three)

  2. Ari's sample looks dark and metallic and leaves a red-brown streak. Using the card, which mineral is it?

    • Gold
    • Pyrite
    • Magnetite
    • Hematite

  3. A shiny gold-colored grain leaves a dark green to black streak. Using the card, which mineral is it, Bo?

    • Gold
    • Pyrite
    • Magnetite
    • Hematite

  4. A sample leaves a black-gray streak on unglazed tile. Using the card, which mineral is it, Esme?

    • Magnetite
    • Pyrite
    • Hematite, as both look dark
    • Gold

  5. NPS Mohs Hardness Scale

    test objecthardness
    fingernail2.5
    copper penny3.5
    knife or glass plate5.5
    steel nail6.5

    Beside it, the rock-cycle boxes: igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic (minerals make up all three)

  6. Calcite has a hardness of 3. Using the table, which object could scratch calcite, Jun?

    • A piece of talc
    • A sheet of paper
    • A fingernail
    • A copper penny

  7. Luz reads that a fingernail scratches a mineral, and the mineral cannot scratch a copper penny. Using the table, what is its hardness?

    • Less than 2.5
    • About 6.5
    • Between 3.5 and 5.5
    • More than 3.5

  8. Amethyst is purple and rose quartz is pink, yet both are quartz. Which property shows Milo they are the same mineral?

    • Their names
    • Their sizes
    • Their colors
    • Their hardness of 7

  9. Pia reads that fluorite can be purple, green, yellow or blue. Why is color a weak clue for fluorite?

    • Color names each mineral exactly
    • One mineral can come in many colors
    • Fluorite has no color
    • Each color is a different mineral

  10. Mica peels apart into thin, flat sheets. Is that cleavage or fracture, Ren?

    • Cleavage: it splits along flat planes
    • Fracture: it breaks in curves
    • Luster: it shines
    • Neither: mica does not break

  11. Quartz breaks with smooth, curved surfaces, a little like thick glass. Which word names that kind of break, Tala?

    • Cleavage
    • Luster
    • Fracture
    • Streak

  12. Halite, the mineral in rock salt, breaks into tiny cubes. What does that tell Zee?

    • It has cubic cleavage
    • Its streak is cube-shaped
    • It is very hard
    • It has no cleavage, just fracture
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6th grade Identify a mineral from its properties worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Identify a mineral from its properties. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can name the four main mineral tests: hardness, luster, streak, and cleavage or fracture.
  • I can use the Mohs scale and common objects (fingernail, penny, glass, nail) to bracket a mineral's hardness.
  • I can tell look-alikes apart (pyrite and gold, hematite and magnetite, quartz and fluorite) with a test, not by color.

Standard: supports MS-ESS2-1

Words to know

mineral: A natural, nonliving solid with a set makeup and an orderly crystal pattern

hardness: How well a mineral resists being scratched (Mohs 1 to 10)

luster: How the surface reflects light: glassy, metallic, pearly, dull

streak: The color of a mineral's powder rubbed on unglazed tile

cleavage: Splitting along flat, weak planes, like mica's sheets

fracture: Breaking in curves or rough edges, like quartz

Common mistakes

Your child named a mineral by its color alone. One mineral can come in many colors, and look-alikes share colors. Try sorting a few objects by color, then by a second test.

Your child read the scratch test backward. The harder material does the scratching; the one that gets scratched is softer. Ask which of two objects left the mark.

Your child mixed up the names of the tests. Luster is shine, streak is powder color, hardness is scratching, and cleavage is splitting. Try a quick match game with the four words.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with identify a mineral from its properties?

Your child named a mineral by its color alone. One mineral can come in many colors, and look-alikes share colors. Try sorting a few objects by color, then by a second test.

Are these 6th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 6 science

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