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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 17 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. What claim does this record support?
  2. 2. Which single test picks out mineral C on its own?
  3. 3. A new mineral is scratched by a fingernail and leaves a white streak. Which is it most like?
  4. 4. A and D both leave a white streak. Which test tells them apart?
2.Why use several tests rather than one?
  • A.More tests always give the same result
  • B.One test is never useful
  • C.One test may give the same result for two different minerals
3.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
4.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
5.Why is a mineral's streak better evidence than its color?
  • A.A mineral's color can vary, but its streak usually stays the same
  • B.Streak is prettier
  • C.Color cannot be seen
6.What does the streak test show?
  • A.How heavy the mineral is
  • B.The color of the powder a mineral leaves when rubbed on a rough white tile
  • C.How shiny the mineral is
7.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

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-3 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Scratch, Shine and Streak

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Minerals can be told apart by a set of properties, each tested the same way. 2. The magnet test, because only C was pulled by a magnet. 3. Mineral A, which is also scratched by a fingernail and leaves a white streak. 4. The scratch test: a fingernail scratches A but not D. The vinegar test works too, because only D fizzes.
  2. 2.One test may give the same result for two different minerals
  3. 3.Picking that one out from the rest
  4. 4.It is harder than glass
  5. 5.A mineral's color can vary, but its streak usually stays the same
  6. 6.The color of the powder a mineral leaves when rubbed on a rough white tile
  7. 7.The way its surface reflects light

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