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 15 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. Which single test picks out mineral C on its own?
  2. 2. A new mineral is scratched by a fingernail and leaves a white streak. Which is it most like?
  3. 3. A and D both leave a white streak. Which test tells them apart?
  4. 4. Which mineral was pulled by a magnet?
2.Two minerals give the same result in every test you ran. What should you do?
  • A.Decide they are different
  • B.Stop testing
  • C.Try another test, or consider that they may be the same mineral
3.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
4.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
5.Which of these minerals is the softest?
  • A.One a fingernail can scratch
  • B.One that scratches glass
  • C.One a coin cannot scratch
6.Why is a mineral's streak better evidence than its color?
  • A.Streak is prettier
  • B.A mineral's color can vary, but its streak usually stays the same
  • C.Color cannot be seen
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 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Scratch, Shine and Streak

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The magnet test, because only C was pulled by a magnet. 2. Mineral A, which is also scratched by a fingernail and leaves a white streak. 3. The scratch test: a fingernail scratches A but not D. The vinegar test works too, because only D fizzes. 4. Mineral C.
  2. 2.Try another test, or consider that they may be the same mineral
  3. 3.It is harder than glass
  4. 4.It reacts with the vinegar, which is a property you can test
  5. 5.One a fingernail can scratch
  6. 6.A mineral's color can vary, but its streak usually stays the same
  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.