Multiple choice

Which of the following statements about the nature of minerals is incorrect?

  1. Some minerals have characteristic colour determined by their molecular structure and some minerals are coloured by impurities.

  2. Lustre is the appearance of a material without regard to its colour.

  3. External crystal form of a mineral is determined by the internal arrangement of the molecules.

  4. Cleavage is quality of a mineral with the internal molecular arrangement, so complex that there are no planes of molecules and the crystal will break in an irregular manner.

  5. Hardness of a mineral is measured by its relative resistance to being scratched.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This is incorrect. Cleavage is the tendency to break in given directions producing relatively plane surfaces as a result of internal arrangement of the molecules. It may cleave in one or more directions and at any angle to each other.

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