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Earth Materials Discovery Quiz

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Earth Materials Discovery Quiz

Explore the evidence, then solve each question. Use the short reading and visuals on this page. Do not taste or smell soil or rock samples.

Read the field notes

A class is investigating earth materials near a stream in Aotearoa New Zealand. Rocks are made of one or more minerals. Their colour, grain size, layers and crystals can help us describe them. Igneous rock forms when melted rock cools. One rock type forms as particles build up in layers and become pressed together. Metamorphic rock forms when existing rock changes under heat and pressure. Soil is a mixture of mineral particles, decayed living things, water and air. One kind of soil has large, gritty particles and drains quickly. Clay has tiny particles, feels sticky when wet and holds water. Loam is a mixture that can hold water while still draining well. Soil supports plant growth and provides habitat for many organisms. Rocks and soil also shape landscapes and provide materials people use.

Read the evidence

Choose the best answer for each question.

1.A soil sample feels gritty and water passes through it quickly. Which soil type is the best match?

Clay
Sandy soil
Loam
Solid rock

2.Layers of mud and sand are pressed together over a long time. What kind of rock may form?

Igneous
Sedimentary
Metamorphic
Mineral soil

3.Which tool would help you see tiny crystals and grains on a rock’s surface?

Magnifying glass
Stopwatch
Compass
Measuring jug

4.True or false: Loam is a mixture of soil particles that can both hold some water and drain reasonably well.

TrueFalse

5.A gardener wants soil that holds water and feels sticky when wet. Which soil feature points to clay?

Classify the samples

Use the sample clues to answer the questions.

Sample

What you observe

Your likely classification

Gritty particles; water drains through quickly

__________

Tiny particles; sticky when wet

__________

A mixture that holds some water but drains too

__________

6.Complete the classification table by naming the soil type for samples A, B and C.

7.You examine a rock with visible layers of different-sized particles. Name one observation you could record and one tool that could help you investigate it more closely.

Explain your thinking

Use complete sentences and ideas from the field notes.

8.Match each rock-forming process to the correct rock type: melted rock cools; layers of sediment are pressed together; existing rock changes under heat and pressure.

Melted rock cools
Sediment layers are pressed together
Existing rock changes under heat and pressure

Metamorphic
Igneous
Sedimentary

9.Give two reasons soil is important for living things or the environment.

10.Maia finds a rock with shiny crystals. Explain why noticing crystals is useful, and name one other feature she could record to help describe or classify the rock.

11.A stream bank has loose soil and little plant cover. Predict one way rain could affect the soil, and explain how plants might help.