1. Which of the following types of rocks can become metamorphic rocks?
a. sedimentary rocks only
b. igneous rocks only
c. sedimentary or igneous rocks only
d. sedimentary or metamorphic rocks only
e. sedimentary, igneous, or metamorphic rocks

2. Which of the following mineral groups is most abundant in the Earth's crust:
a. nitrate
b. oxide
c. carbonate
d. shale
e. silicate

3. Which of the following is NOT a type of foliation exhibited by metamorphic rocks?
a. slaty cleavage
b. schistosity
c. gneissic texture
d. rock cleavage
e. porphyroblastic texture

4. Schist can be distinguished from other metamorphic rocks by:
a.its reaction to hydrochloric acid
b. its dark and light mineral bands
c. its metallic sheen
d. its slaty cleavage
e. its large flakes of aligned micas

5. Which of the following is a very common and important non-silicate mineral?
a. quartz, SiO₂
b. calcite, CaCO₃
c. sphalerite, ZnS
d. plagioclase feldspar, NaAlSi₃O₈
e. diopside, CaMgSi₂O₆

6. The rock that results from the metamorphosis of relatively pure limestone is:
a. hornfels
b. marable
c. gneiss
d. quartzite
e. blueschist

7. The classification of igneous rocks is based largely on:
a. texture and grain size
b. texture and mineral composition
c. mineral composition and water content
d. silica content and water content
e. silica content and mineral composition

8. Blueschist facies rocks are formed:
a. around intruding igneous rocks such as batholiths
b. under the deepest parts of subduction zones, well below the roots of mountains
c. within transform faults as a result of heat produced by friction
d. within shallower parts of subduction zones
e. near hotsprings and other geothermal areas

9. Which low-grade metamorphic rock, composed of extremely fine-sized mica and other mineral grains, typically exhibits well-developed rock cleavage?
a. schist
b. slate
c. quartzite
d. hornfels
e. gneiss

10. In general, gems are
a. rare minerals
b. beautiful varieties of common minerals
c. radioactive minerals
d. not colored or shaped or dyed or altered in any way from the way they occur naturally
e. all of the above

11. Which of these descriptions best describes the conditions of contact metamorphism?
a. pressures are high; deep in the Earth; heat comes from inside Earth
b. pressures are low; upper part of crust; heat comes from nearby magma
c. depths are shallow, but pressures and temperatures are so high that rocks begin to melt
d. heat and pressure come from shearing and faulting along major fault zones
e. short and sudden periods of intense pressure at varying temperature

12. Which metamorphic rock is texturally between a slate and a schist?
a. quartzite
b. phyllite
c. breccia
d. gneiss
e. sandstone

13. Which response has rocks in the correct order from (left to right) low-grade and fine grain size to high-grade and coarse grain size?
a. phyllite=>slate=>schist
b. slate=>phyllite=>schist
c. schist=>slate=>phyllite
d. slate=>schist=>phyllite
e. gneiss=>slate=>phyllite

14. If a metamorphic rock contains lots of carbonate minerals, what was it before it was metamorphosed?
a. quartzite
b. limestone or dolostone
c. shale or mudstone
d. a plutonic rock
e. pahoehoe or aa

15. Pahoehoe and aa are
a. types of metamorphic rocks
b. rocks before they have been metamorphosed
c. types of lava flows
d. types of volcanic mountains
e. valuable gems

16. Which of the following is a foliated rock composed of alternating bands of light and dark silicate minerals?
a. schist
b. hornfels
c. gneiss
d. quartzite
e. slate

17. More than 70% of present day coal usage is for:
a. driving cars
b. making synfuels
c. generating electricity
d. heating homes
e. powering industrial boilers

18. Before Mt. St. Helens erupted, there were some indications that trouble might be coming. These indications included:
a. tidal waves
b. Earth tides
c. minor Earth tremors
d. Moon tides
e. fault scarps

19. The term viscosity refers to:
a. how heat and pressure influence a liquid's gas content
b. how dense a liquid is
c. a liquid's resistance to flow
d. how a liquid moves upward against gravity
e. how much dissolved gas is in a magma

20. Which of the following statements concerning diamonds is NOT true?
a. diamonds are most often found in kimberlite pipes, or in the eroded remains of kimberlite pipes
b. diamonds are formed as a result of extreme pressure
on carbon that is deep in the Earth
c. diamond is compositionally the same as ruby
d. diamond is compositionally the same as graphite
e. diamond is the world's hardest natural substance

21. Cleavage is
a. almost the same thing as density
b. the ability of a mineral to break into smooth curved surfaces resembling broken glass
c. the tendency of a mineral to break along planes of weak bonding
d. the appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of a mineral
e. the color obtained when a mineral is in its powdered form

22. Streak is
a. almost the same thing as density
b. the ability of a mineral to break into smooth curved surfaces resembling broken glass
c. the color obtained when a mineral is in its powdered form
d. the tendency of a mineral to break along planes of weak bonding
e. the appearance or quality of light reflected from the surface of a mineral

23. A volcanic dome forms when:
a. a large volcanic mountain is rounded off by erosion
b. a shield volcano becomes relatively symmetrical
c. rising magma causes a bulge in the side of a volcano
d. viscous magma is "squeezed" out of a vent producing a bulbous mass
e. ground collapses after lava is removed from underground

24. How does the rate of cooling influence the crystallization of a magma?
a. slow cooling releases lots of water
b. fast cooling releases lots of water
c. slow cooling leads to small crystals
d. fast cooling leads to small crystals
e. fast cooling leads to large crystals

25. Hawaiian volcanoes are
a. cinder cones
b. eruption debacles
c. pyroclastic flows
d. shield volcanoes
e. composite volcanoes

26. A phaneritic texture is most likely to develop in:
a. volcanic glass
b. volcanic rocks
c. extrusive rocks
d. intrusive rocks
e. volcanic pipes

27. Which one of the following rocks probably underwent the fastest cooling rate?
a. granite
b. gabbro
c. basalt
d. obsidian
e. schist

28. Crater Lake and the crater at Kilauea are both
a. domes
b. dikes
c. diatremes
d. caldera
e. plutons

29. The geothermal gradient describes how:
a. pressure increases with depth within the Earth
b. magma becomes more mafic with depth within the Earth
c. water content increases with depth within the Earth
d. temperature increases with depth within the Earth
e. migmatites form

30. Which of the following is NOT a fossil fuel?
a. coal
b. oil
c. natural gas
d. uranium
e. tar (sands)

31. Amethyst, opal, citrine and chalcedony are gem varieties of
a. feldspar
b. mica
c. beryl
d. quartz
e. coal

32. Regional metamorphism generally occurs
a. when a rock is near or touching a pluton
b. along a fault zone
c. at the site of a meteor impact
d. in mountain belts during mountain building
e. after midnight and before dawn

33. Which of the following is a mineral?
a. opal
b. diamond
c. obsidian
d. glass
e. water

34. A rock is best defined as:
a. twinned crystals
b. aggregates of one or more minerals or naturally occurring mineral-like solids
c. aggregates of one or more naturally occurring organic solids
d. solidified fluorocarbons
e. a foliated mass of sand

35. Crystals in pegmatites are large because
a. crystallization occurred at very high temperatures
b. there was lots of water or other fluid present at the time of crystallization
c. crystallization occurred at very low temperatures
d. pegmatites are very silica poor
e. pegmatites form in veins

36. Ruby and sapphire are both gem varieties of
a. quartz
b. corundum
c. mica
d. olivine
e. tourmaline

37. If a neutral atom with only one electron in its outer shell loses that electron, it does all of the following EXCEPT:
a. become electrically positive
b. become the atom of a different element
c. become more chemically stable
d. become likely to form an ionic bond with another atom
e. become ionized

38. One way the Earth becomes differentiated is by the process of partial melting. How does the composition of a melt produced by partial melting compare with the composition of the parent rock?
a. it is more mafic
b. it is more silicic
c. it is richer in iron and magnesium
d. it is less alkaline
e. it is less acidic

39. The purpose of rubbing a mineral across an unglazed porcelain slab, the streak plate, is:
a. to observe the color of a mineral in its powdered form
b. to remove dirt and corrosion from the mineral so that its true color can be observed
c. to remove the atoms of trace impurities that may exist within the structure of the mineral
d. to determine if a streak will form on the mineral
e. all of the above

40. A mineral must
a. be naturally occurring
b. be a solid
c. have an orderly atomic arrangement (be crystalline)
d. have a definite chemical composition (that may vary within limits)
e. all of the above

Medium To Long Answers

1. Graphite and diamond are different minerals made of carbon. Since they have the same composition, why do mineralogists and geologists consider them to be different minerals?

2. If you looked at a map of the world showing locations of volcanic activity, you would find that most volcanoes are at the edges of continents. A few are in the middle of oceans, and even fewer in the middle of continents. Explain why volcanoes occur where they do.

3. Briefly describe the textural differences between slate, mica schist, and gneiss. Which, in general, represents the highest grade of metamorphism?

4. Why are some volcanoes more explosive and dangerous than others. Give me some specifics. Why do they behave the way they do?

Match these puppies (circle the correct word that describes each of the following):

granite	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element
quartz	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element
calcium	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element
calcite	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element
arkose	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element
basalt	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element
gabbro	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element
olivine	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element
mercury	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element
schist	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element
shale	igneous rock	sedimentary rock	metamorphic rock	mineral	element