Grade 4 Science · Rocks and Minerals

Grade 4 Rocks and Minerals Practice Test

Build Grade 4 Science skills with five 10-question practice tests on mineral properties, rock types, rock formation, the rock cycle, fossils, investigations, and Earth material uses.

Rocks and Minerals Practice Tests

These Grade 4 Science practice tests help students classify minerals and rocks and explain how Earth materials form and change. Students use properties such as hardness, luster, streak, layers, and texture to identify samples and connect rocks to the rock cycle.

Skills covered

  • Defining minerals and identifying mineral properties
  • Distinguishing igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks
  • Explaining melting, cooling, compaction, cementation, heat, and pressure
  • Connecting fossils and layers to sedimentary rocks
  • Planning fair tests and using evidence to classify samples
  • Understanding how people use and conserve rocks and minerals

How to use these practice tests

Use more than one property when identifying a mineral or rock. For rock types, ask how the material formed: cooling melted rock, compacted sediment, or changed existing rock under heat and pressure. Use observations and measured evidence to support conclusions.

For more Grade 4 Science practice, return to the Grade 4 Science category.

2. Test

Grade 4 Rocks and Minerals Practice Tests

A 10-question Grade 4 Science practice test on mineral properties, rock types, rock formation, the rock cycle, fossils, investigations, and Earth material uses.

Read each Earth science situation and choose the answer that best identifies the mineral property, rock type, formation process, or evidence.

10 Questions
0/10 Questions0 %
Correct 0
Incorrect 0
Unanswered 10
1. QuestionMultiple choice

How does an igneous rock form?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is Magma or lava cools and hardens..

  1. Observe the material: Look for mineral properties, rock type, formation process, or evidence from an investigation.
  2. Apply the Earth science rule: Igneous rocks form when melted rock cools and becomes solid.
  3. Confirm the classification: The correct choice is Magma or lava cools and hardens..

Igneous rocks form when melted rock cools and becomes solid.

2. QuestionMultiple choice

How does a sedimentary rock often form?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is Sediment is compacted and cemented into layers..

  1. Observe the material: Look for mineral properties, rock type, formation process, or evidence from an investigation.
  2. Apply the Earth science rule: Sedimentary rocks can form when deposited sediment is pressed and cemented together.
  3. Confirm the classification: The correct choice is Sediment is compacted and cemented into layers..

Sedimentary rocks can form when deposited sediment is pressed and cemented together.

3. QuestionMultiple choice

How does a metamorphic rock form?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: C

The correct answer is Existing rock changes because of heat and pressure..

  1. Observe the material: Look for mineral properties, rock type, formation process, or evidence from an investigation.
  2. Apply the Earth science rule: Heat and pressure can change an existing rock into a metamorphic rock.
  3. Confirm the classification: The correct choice is Existing rock changes because of heat and pressure..

Heat and pressure can change an existing rock into a metamorphic rock.

4. QuestionMultiple choice

What is magma?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: D

The correct answer is Melted rock below Earth’s surface.

  1. Observe the material: Look for mineral properties, rock type, formation process, or evidence from an investigation.
  2. Apply the Earth science rule: Magma is melted rock beneath Earth’s surface.
  3. Confirm the classification: The correct choice is Melted rock below Earth’s surface.

Magma is melted rock beneath Earth’s surface.

5. QuestionMultiple choice

What is lava?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is Melted rock that reaches Earth’s surface.

  1. Observe the material: Look for mineral properties, rock type, formation process, or evidence from an investigation.
  2. Apply the Earth science rule: Magma is called lava when it erupts or flows onto the surface.
  3. Confirm the classification: The correct choice is Melted rock that reaches Earth’s surface.

Magma is called lava when it erupts or flows onto the surface.

6. QuestionMultiple choice

Which rock is usually sedimentary?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is Sandstone.

  1. Observe the material: Look for mineral properties, rock type, formation process, or evidence from an investigation.
  2. Apply the Earth science rule: Sandstone forms from compacted and cemented sand-sized sediment.
  3. Confirm the classification: The correct choice is Sandstone.

Sandstone forms from compacted and cemented sand-sized sediment.

7. QuestionMultiple choice

Which rock is usually igneous?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: C

The correct answer is Granite.

  1. Observe the material: Look for mineral properties, rock type, formation process, or evidence from an investigation.
  2. Apply the Earth science rule: Granite forms when magma cools slowly underground.
  3. Confirm the classification: The correct choice is Granite.

Granite forms when magma cools slowly underground.

8. QuestionMultiple choice

Which rock is usually metamorphic?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: D

The correct answer is Marble.

  1. Observe the material: Look for mineral properties, rock type, formation process, or evidence from an investigation.
  2. Apply the Earth science rule: Marble forms when limestone changes under heat and pressure.
  3. Confirm the classification: The correct choice is Marble.

Marble forms when limestone changes under heat and pressure.

9. QuestionMultiple choice

Why are fossils often found in sedimentary rocks?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: A

The correct answer is Sediment can bury and preserve the remains or traces of organisms in layers..

  1. Observe the material: Look for mineral properties, rock type, formation process, or evidence from an investigation.
  2. Apply the Earth science rule: Sedimentary layers can bury remains gently enough for fossils to form.
  3. Confirm the classification: The correct choice is Sediment can bury and preserve the remains or traces of organisms in layers..

Sedimentary layers can bury remains gently enough for fossils to form.

10. QuestionMultiple choice

What is the rock cycle?

Please select an answer first.

Correct answer: B

The correct answer is The set of processes that can change rocks from one type to another over time..

  1. Observe the material: Look for mineral properties, rock type, formation process, or evidence from an investigation.
  2. Apply the Earth science rule: Weathering, melting, cooling, heat, pressure, and cementation can change rock types.
  3. Confirm the classification: The correct choice is The set of processes that can change rocks from one type to another over time..

Weathering, melting, cooling, heat, pressure, and cementation can change rock types.

Frequently asked questions about Grade 4 Rocks and Minerals

How are rocks and minerals different?

A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid with a definite composition, while a rock is made of one or more minerals or other Earth materials.

What are the three main rock types?

The three main rock types are igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. Each forms through different Earth processes.

How many questions are on this page?

The page includes five mini tests with 10 questions each, for 50 Grade 4 Rocks and Minerals questions in total.