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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. Which single test picks out mineral C on its own?
  2. 2. Which mineral scratched glass?
  3. 3. Which minerals left a white streak?
  4. 4. Which mineral was pulled by a magnet?
2.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
3.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
4.Why use several tests rather than one?
  • A.One test may give the same result for two different minerals
  • B.One test is never useful
  • C.More tests always give the same result
5.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
6.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
7.Which of these minerals is the softest?
  • A.One a fingernail can scratch
  • B.One that scratches glass
  • C.One a coin cannot scratch

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

Answer key — Scratch, Shine and Streak

Set 5. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The magnet test, because only C was pulled by a magnet. 2. Mineral B. 3. Mineral A and mineral D. 4. Mineral C.
  2. 2.Try another test, or consider that they may be the same mineral
  3. 3.The color of the powder a mineral leaves when rubbed on a rough white tile
  4. 4.One test may give the same result for two different minerals
  5. 5.A streak test can tell apart minerals that look alike
  6. 6.Picking that one out from the rest
  7. 7.One a fingernail can scratch

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