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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.

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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 and D both leave a white streak. Which test tells them apart?
  2. 2. What claim does this record support?
  3. 3. Why was every mineral given the same five tests?
  4. 4. Which minerals left a white streak?
2.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
3.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
4.Why use several tests rather than one?
  • A.One test may give the same result for two different minerals
  • B.More tests always give the same result
  • C.One test is never useful
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.Telling the other three apart
  • C.Finding how hard they are
6.Two minerals give the same result in every test you ran. What should you do?
  • A.Try another test, or consider that they may be the same mineral
  • B.Decide they are different
  • C.Stop testing
7.Why is a mineral's streak better evidence than its color?
  • A.Streak is prettier
  • B.A mineral's color can vary, but its streak usually stays the same
  • C.Color cannot be seen

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-3 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Scratch, Shine and Streak

Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The scratch test: a fingernail scratches A but not D. The vinegar test works too, because only D fizzes. 2. Minerals can be told apart by a set of properties, each tested the same way. 3. So the results can be compared and each mineral told apart from the others. 4. Mineral A and mineral D.
  2. 2.The color of the powder a mineral leaves when rubbed on a rough white tile
  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.Try another test, or consider that they may be the same mineral
  7. 7.A mineral's color can vary, but its streak usually stays the same

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