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Scratch, Shine and Streak is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on identifying minerals from a table of test results, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 5-PS1-3. It prints 7 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 11 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Scratch, Shine and Streak

5-PS1-3

NameDate

Read the record, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

Four Unlabeled Minerals

Test results for four unlabeled minerals, each tested the same five ways. WHAT EACH MINERAL DID Mineral A: scratched by a fingernail, pearly shine, white streak, not pulled by a magnet, no fizz Mineral B: scratches glass, glassy shine, no streak, not pulled by a magnet, no fizz Mineral C: not scratched by a coin, metallic shine, black streak, pulled by a magnet, no fizz Mineral D: scratched by a coin but not a fingernail, glassy shine, white streak, not pulled by a magnet, fizzes with vinegar Tests: scratch, shine, streak on a rough white tile, magnet, a drop of vinegar.

  1. 1. Why was every mineral given the same five tests?
  2. 2. Which mineral was pulled by a magnet?
  3. 3. Which minerals left a white streak?
  4. 4. A and D both leave a white streak. Which test tells them apart?
2.Fool's gold looks like gold but leaves a greenish-black streak, while gold leaves a yellow one. What does that show?
  • A.Fool's gold is real gold
  • B.Streaks are always black
  • C.A streak test can tell apart minerals that look alike
3.Which of these minerals is the softest?
  • A.One a coin cannot scratch
  • B.One that scratches glass
  • C.One a fingernail can scratch
4.What is a mineral's "shine," or luster?
  • A.The way its surface reflects light
  • B.How hot it gets in the sun
  • C.How heavy it feels
5.Four gray minerals are tested and only one is pulled by a magnet. What is that test good for?
  • A.Picking that one out from the rest
  • B.Finding how hard they are
  • C.Telling the other three apart
6.A mineral fizzes when a drop of vinegar is put on it. What does that show?
  • A.It is magnetic
  • B.It reacts with the vinegar, which is a property you can test
  • C.It is melting
7.Two minerals give the same result in every test you ran. What should you do?
  • A.Try another test, or consider that they may be the same mineral
  • B.Decide they are different
  • C.Stop testing

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-3 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Scratch, Shine and Streak

Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. So the results can be compared and each mineral told apart from the others. 2. Mineral C. 3. Mineral A and mineral D. 4. The scratch test: a fingernail scratches A but not D. The vinegar test works too, because only D fizzes.
  2. 2.A streak test can tell apart minerals that look alike
  3. 3.One a fingernail can scratch
  4. 4.The way its surface reflects light
  5. 5.Picking that one out from the rest
  6. 6.It reacts with the vinegar, which is a property you can test
  7. 7.Try another test, or consider that they may be the same mineral

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-PS1-3 of the Next Generation Science Standards.