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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 21 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 single test picks out mineral C on its own?
  2. 2. Why was every mineral given the same five tests?
  3. 3. What claim does this record support?
  4. 4. Which mineral was pulled by a magnet?
2.What is a mineral's "shine," or luster?
  • A.How hot it gets in the sun
  • B.How heavy it feels
  • C.The way its surface reflects light
3.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
4.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
5.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
6.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
7.A mineral scratches glass. What does that tell you?
  • A.It is made of glass
  • B.It is softer than glass
  • C.It is harder than glass

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-3 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Scratch, Shine and Streak

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The magnet test, because only C was pulled by a magnet. 2. So the results can be compared and each mineral told apart from the others. 3. Minerals can be told apart by a set of properties, each tested the same way. 4. Mineral C.
  2. 2.The way its surface reflects light
  3. 3.It reacts with the vinegar, which is a property you can test
  4. 4.One test may give the same result for two different minerals
  5. 5.Picking that one out from the rest
  6. 6.A streak test can tell apart minerals that look alike
  7. 7.It is harder than glass

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