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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 18 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. A new mineral is scratched by a fingernail and leaves a white streak. Which is it most like?
  2. 2. Which minerals left a white streak?
  3. 3. Which mineral was pulled by a magnet?
  4. 4. A and D both leave a white streak. Which test tells them apart?
2.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
3.Which of these minerals is the softest?
  • A.One that scratches glass
  • B.One a fingernail can scratch
  • C.One a coin cannot scratch
4.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.Color cannot be seen
  • C.Streak is prettier
5.A mineral fizzes when a drop of vinegar is put on it. What does that show?
  • A.It is magnetic
  • B.It is melting
  • C.It reacts with the vinegar, which is a property you can test
6.What does the streak test show?
  • A.The color of the powder a mineral leaves when rubbed on a rough white tile
  • B.How heavy the mineral is
  • C.How shiny the mineral is
7.Fool's gold looks like gold but leaves a greenish-black streak, while gold leaves a yellow one. What does that show?
  • A.A streak test can tell apart minerals that look alike
  • B.Streaks are always black
  • C.Fool's gold is real gold

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-3 · Set 18 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Scratch, Shine and Streak

Set 18. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Mineral A, which is also scratched by a fingernail and leaves a white streak. 2. Mineral A and mineral D. 3. Mineral C. 4. The scratch test: a fingernail scratches A but not D. The vinegar test works too, because only D fizzes.
  2. 2.Picking that one out from the rest
  3. 3.One a fingernail can scratch
  4. 4.A mineral's color can vary, but its streak usually stays the same
  5. 5.It reacts with the vinegar, which is a property you can test
  6. 6.The color of the powder a mineral leaves when rubbed on a rough white tile
  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.