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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 20 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. Which mineral was pulled by a magnet?
  2. 2. Which single test picks out mineral C on its own?
  3. 3. What claim does this record support?
  4. 4. A and D both leave a white streak. Which test tells them apart?
2.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.Fool's gold is real gold
  • C.A streak test can tell apart minerals that look alike
3.Why is a mineral's streak better evidence than its color?
  • A.Color cannot be seen
  • B.Streak is prettier
  • C.A mineral's color can vary, but its streak usually stays the same
4.Two minerals give the same result in every test you ran. What should you do?
  • A.Decide they are different
  • B.Try another test, or consider that they may be the same mineral
  • C.Stop testing
5.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
6.What is a mineral's "shine," or luster?
  • A.How heavy it feels
  • B.The way its surface reflects light
  • C.How hot it gets in the sun
7.A mineral fizzes when a drop of vinegar is put on it. What does that show?
  • A.It is melting
  • B.It is magnetic
  • C.It reacts with the vinegar, which is a property you can test

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-3 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Scratch, Shine and Streak

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Mineral C. 2. The magnet test, because only C was pulled by a magnet. 3. Minerals can be told apart by a set of properties, each tested the same way. 4. The scratch test: a fingernail scratches A but not D. The vinegar test works too, because only D fizzes.
  2. 2.A streak test can tell apart minerals that look alike
  3. 3.A mineral's color can vary, but its streak usually stays the same
  4. 4.Try another test, or consider that they may be the same mineral
  5. 5.The color of the powder a mineral leaves when rubbed on a rough white tile
  6. 6.The way its surface reflects light
  7. 7.It reacts with the vinegar, which is a property you can test

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