Skip to content
LessonPrint

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

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

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. A and D both leave a white streak. Which test tells them apart?
  2. 2. What claim does this record support?
  3. 3. Which mineral scratched glass?
  4. 4. Which single test picks out mineral C on its own?
2.A mineral fizzes when a drop of vinegar is put on it. What does that show?
  • A.It reacts with the vinegar, which is a property you can test
  • B.It is melting
  • C.It is magnetic
3.Which of these minerals is the softest?
  • A.One that scratches glass
  • B.One a coin cannot scratch
  • C.One a fingernail can scratch
4.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.Telling the other three apart
  • C.Finding how hard they are
5.A mineral scratches glass. What does that tell you?
  • A.It is softer than glass
  • B.It is harder than glass
  • C.It is made of glass
6.What is a mineral's "shine," or luster?
  • A.How hot it gets in the sun
  • B.How heavy it feels
  • C.The way its surface reflects light
7.Why use several tests rather than one?
  • A.One test is never useful
  • B.One test may give the same result for two different minerals
  • C.More tests always give the same result

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-3 · Set 13 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Scratch, Shine and Streak

Set 13. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The scratch test: a fingernail scratches A but not D. The vinegar test works too, because only D fizzes. 2. Minerals can be told apart by a set of properties, each tested the same way. 3. Mineral B. 4. The magnet test, because only C was pulled by a magnet.
  2. 2.It reacts with the vinegar, which is a property you can test
  3. 3.One a fingernail can scratch
  4. 4.Picking that one out from the rest
  5. 5.It is harder than glass
  6. 6.The way its surface reflects light
  7. 7.One test may give the same result for two different minerals

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