Question 3 of 21: Question 2, Part 1: Multiple Choice

Question 2, Part 1: Multiple Choice (3 marks)

Question text not reproduced: the examination questions are © Engineers and Geoscientists BC. Open the official past paper (linked at the top of this page) to read the question, then follow the worked solution below.

1) → (c). A mineral is defined by its ordered, repetitive crystalline atomic structure; a rock is simply a lithified/consolidated aggregate of one or more minerals – option (c) is the only one that assigns each definition to the correct term (a, b, d all swap or corrupt the definitions).

2) → (d). The defining property of a mineral's internal structure is a regular, repeating chemical bond arrangement (a crystal lattice) – not uniform ion size/charge, not always cubic/octahedral coordination (many other coordination geometries exist), and not shared protons (an unphysical bonding description).

3) → (b). Silicate minerals (built on the SiO₄ tetrahedron) dominate both the crust (quartz, feldspars, micas, clays) and the entire silicate mantle (olivine, pyroxene, garnet) – over 90% of Earth's crust and essentially the whole mantle by volume.