Engineering Geology MCQs on “Physical Properties – 02”.
1. Colour changing phenomenon which involves oxidation is ____________
a) Tarnish
b) Iridescence
c) Allochromatic
d) Idiochromatic
Answer: a
Clarification: Tarnish nay be described as a phenomenon of change of original colours of mineral to some secondary colours at its surface due its oxidation at the surface.
2. Lustre doesn’t depend on?
a) Refractive index mineral
b) Absorption of mineral
c) Transmittance of mineral
d) Nature of reflecting surface
Answer: c
Clarification: Lustre depends on: refractive index of the mineral, absorption capacity of the mineral and nature of reflecting surface.
3. Lustre is dependent on colour.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: Lustre is entirely independent of colour of the mineral. A deeply coloured mineral may be lustreless and vice-versa.
4. High density, high refractive index is characteristic of ___________
a) Non-metallic minerals
b) Metallic minerals
c) Semi-metallic minerals
d) Metalloid minerals
Answer: b
Clarification: Metallic lustres are characteristics of high density, high refractive index and opaque minerals like galena, pyrite and chalcopyrite.
5. Type of shine or lustre associated with lustre of diamond is ___________
a) Adamantine
b) Metallic
c) Pearly
d) Vitreous
Answer: a
Clarification: Adamantine is the other name for shine of diamonds. Very brilliant; the best example is diamond.
6. Streak is an important diagnostic property of ___________
a) Non-coloured minerals
b) Coloured minerals
c) Metallic minerals
d) Non-metallic minerals
Answer: b
Clarification: Streak is an important diagnostic property of many coloured minerals. Simply defined as the colour of the finely powdered mineral as obtained by scratching or rubbing the mineral over rough unglazed porcelain plate.
7. Which mineral gives streak?
a) Coloured and translucent
b) Colourless and opaque
c) Coloured and opaque
d) Coloured and transparent
Answer: c
Clarification: Colourless and transparent minerals will always give a colourless streak that has no significance. The coloured and opaque minerals, especially of ore groups, give typically characteristic streaks quite different from other similarly looking minerals.
8. The mineral which is almost black but gives brown streak is?
a) Magnetite
b) Garnet
c) Hornblende
d) Chromite
Answer: d
Clarification: Chromite and magnetite resemble closely in their other physical properties: both are almost black. These may be at once distinguished by their streaks: brown for chromite and black for magnetite.
9. Hardness of a mineral depends upon ___________
a) Chemical composition
b) Atomic constitution
c) Chemical composition and atomic constitution
d) Physical makeup
Answer: c
Clarification: Hardness may be defined as the resistance, which a mineral offers to an external deformation action such as scratching, abrasion, rubbing or indentation. Hardness of a mineral depends on its chemical composition and atomic constitution.
10. The scale of hardness is?
a) Ritcher
b) Mohs
c) Ohm
d) Mho
Answer: b
Clarification: It was in 1822 that Austrian mineralogist F.Mohs proposed a relative, broadly quantitative “scale of hardness” of minerals assigning values between 1 and 10.
11. Minerals of equal hardness do no scratch each other.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: It must be remembered that minerals of equal hardness scratch each other. The best example is that diamond cuts diamonds.
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