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

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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. 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 single test picks out mineral C on its own?
2.A mineral scratches glass. What does that tell you?
  • A.It is harder than glass
  • B.It is softer than glass
  • C.It is made of glass
3.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
4.What does the streak test show?
  • A.How shiny the mineral is
  • B.How heavy the mineral is
  • C.The color of the powder a mineral leaves when rubbed on a rough white tile
5.Four gray minerals are tested and only one is pulled by a magnet. What is that test good for?
  • A.Telling the other three apart
  • B.Picking that one out from the rest
  • C.Finding how hard they are
6.What is a mineral's "shine," or luster?
  • A.How heavy it feels
  • B.How hot it gets in the sun
  • C.The way its surface reflects light
7.Fool's gold looks like gold but leaves a greenish-black streak, while gold leaves a yellow one. What does that show?
  • A.Streaks are always black
  • B.A streak test can tell apart minerals that look alike
  • C.Fool's gold is real gold

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-3 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Scratch, Shine and Streak

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. So the results can be compared and each mineral told apart from the others. 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. The magnet test, because only C was pulled by a magnet.
  2. 2.It is harder than glass
  3. 3.One test may give the same result for two different minerals
  4. 4.The color of the powder a mineral leaves when rubbed on a rough white tile
  5. 5.Picking that one out from the rest
  6. 6.The way its surface reflects light
  7. 7.A streak test can tell apart minerals that look alike

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