Reading Comprehension Passage

Rocks and Minerals

Use the words in the word bank below to complete the reading passage. Each word is used only
once.

Rock

Properties
Streak

Crystal

Hardness

Ore

Mineral

Luster

Element

Do you remember the last time you picked up a pebble? Maybe it was as clear as glass.
Minerals formed the colors and patterns in the pebble. A _______________ is a solid, nonliving
substance with a definite ______________ structure and occurs naturally in rocks or in the
ground. Minerals are made up of only one type of ____________ and every mineral has unique
properties. Earths surface is _____________, a solid substance made of minerals. Rock can be
made of many minerals or one mineral with different-sized grains. An __________ is a rock that
contains enough of a valuable mineral to be mined for profit.

There are more than 4,000 minerals and many are similar in ____________ so scientists use
the minerals ____________________ to tell them apart. For example, scientists can compare
the _________________ of two minerals by how easily they can be scratched. Gypsum and
calcite can look alike, but gypsum is easier to scratch than calcite.

Another way scientists can describe minerals is based on its ________________ or how it
reflects light. Two minerals may be the same color, but one may have a shiny luster and the
other a dull luster.

When you rub a mineral across a surface, the mineral leaves a line of powder. This colored
____________can help a scientist identify two minerals that look alike. Scientists rely on all of
these and other unique properties to identify different types of minerals.

Answers
Do you remember the last time you picked up a pebble? Maybe it was as clear as glass.
Minerals formed the colors and patterns in the pebble. A __mineral__ is a solid, nonliving
substance with a definite _crystal__ structure and occurs naturally in rocks or in the ground.
Minerals are made up of only one type of _element_ and every mineral has unique properties.
Earths surface is __rock___, a solid substance made of minerals. Rock can be made of many
minerals or one mineral with different-sized grains. An _ore_ is a rock that contains enough of a
valuable mineral to be mined for profit.

There are more than 4,000 minerals and many are similar in __color__ so scientists use the
minerals __properties__ to tell them apart. For example, scientists can compare the
_hardness_ of two minerals by how easily they can be scratched. Gypsum and calcite can look
alike, but gypsum is easier to scratch than calcite.

Another way scientists can describe minerals is based on its _luster_ or how it reflects light. Two
minerals may be the same color, but one may have a shiny luster and the other a dull luster.

When you rub a mineral across a surface, the mineral leaves a line of powder. This colored
__streak__can help a scientist identify two minerals that look alike. Scientists rely on all of these
and other unique properties to identify different types of minerals.