Grade 6 Science Test: The Rock Cycle

Section 1: Multiple Choice

1. What does the word 'igneous' mean?

a) Water
b) Fire
c) Earth
d) Air

2. What is magma?
a) Molten rock inside the Earth's crust
b) Hardened lava
c) A type of crystal
d) A kind of sediment

3. Which rock is an example of an intrusive igneous rock?

a) Basalt
b) Granite
c) Sandstone
d) Limestone

4. How do extrusive igneous rocks form?

a) From magma cooling inside the Earth's crust
b) From lava cooling on the surface
c) From compressed sediments
d) From mineral deposits in water

5. What is the main characteristic of igneous rocks?

a) They contain fossils
b) They are crystalline
c) They are formed by pressure
d) They are always black in color

6. What is a characteristic feature of sedimentary rocks?

a) They contain fossils
b) They form from lava
c) They are formed by heat and pressure
d) They have large crystals
7. How are fossils formed?
a) By magma cooling
b) By animals being buried quickly and replaced by minerals
c) By rock breaking into smaller pieces
d) By volcanic eruptions

8. What is metamorphic rock?

a) Rock formed by magma cooling
b) Rock formed from compressed sediments
c) Rock changed by heat and pressure
d) Rock that contains only fossils

9. Which of the following is an example of a metamorphic rock?

a) Granite
b) Basalt
c) Marble
d) Sandstone

10. What causes sedimentary rocks to become metamorphic rocks?

a) Erosion
b) High heat and pressure
c) Melting and cooling
d) Chemical weathering

11. Which metamorphic rock is formed when shale undergoes intense pressure?
a) Marble
b) Slate
c) Granite
d) Sandstone

12. What characteristic does gneiss have that differentiates it from granite?
a) It has stripes or bands
b) It is a sedimentary rock
c) It is softer than granite
d) It forms from lava

13. How is quartzite formed?

a) From limestone undergoing pressure
b) From granite cooling
c) From sandstone being heated and compressed
d) From lava cooling on the surface

14. What type of metamorphic rock is often used for carving statues and monuments?
a) Slate
b) Basalt
c) Marble
d) Sandstone

Section 2: Short Answer Questions

17. 6. What is the process where magma cools down and becomes a rock called?

18. 7. Explain why intrusive igneous rocks have larger crystals compared to extrusive igneous rocks.

19. 8. How does basalt differ from granite?

20. 9. What is sedimentation and how does it help form sedimentary rocks?

21. 10. Name two types of sedimentary rocks and how they are formed.

22. 11. What role does weathering play in the formation of sedimentary rocks?

23. 12. What is weathering, and how does it help form sedimentary rocks?

24. 13. Describe the process of fossil formation in sedimentary rocks.

25. 14. How do heat and pressure change rocks into metamorphic rocks?

26. 15. Name one example of sedimentary rock and one example of metamorphic rock.

27. 16. What are the different types of fossils found in sedimentary rocks?

28. 17. How does shale transform into slate?

29. 18. Why does gneiss have bands or stripes?

30. 19. Describe the characteristics of quartzite.

31. 20. What makes marble a desirable material for statues and buildings?

Section 3: Diagram-Based Questions

21. 12. Draw and label a diagram showing the formation of intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks.
22. 13. Draw a diagram of the sedimentary rock formation process and label the steps.

23. 17. Draw and label a diagram showing the formation of a fossil in sedimentary rock.

24. 18. Draw and label the rock cycle, showing how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks
are connected.

25. 21. Draw and label a diagram showing how slate is formed from shale.

26. 22. Illustrate the rock cycle, including igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
 Grade 6 Science Test: Answers

Section 1: Multiple Choice - Answers

1. What does the word 'igneous' mean?

Answer: b) Fire

2. What is magma?
Answer: a) Molten rock inside the Earth's crust

3. Which rock is an example of an intrusive igneous rock?

Answer: b) Granite

4. How do extrusive igneous rocks form?

Answer: b) From lava cooling on the surface

5. What is the main characteristic of igneous rocks?

Answer: b) They are crystalline

6. What is a characteristic feature of sedimentary rocks?

Answer: a) They contain fossils

7. How are fossils formed?

Answer: b) By animals being buried quickly and replaced by minerals

8. What is metamorphic rock?

Answer: c) Rock changed by heat and pressure

9. Which of the following is an example of a metamorphic rock?

Answer: c) Marble

10. What causes sedimentary rocks to become metamorphic rocks?

Answer: b) High heat and pressure

11. Which metamorphic rock is formed when shale undergoes intense pressure?
Answer: b) Slate

12. What characteristic does gneiss have that differentiates it from granite?
Answer: a) It has stripes or bands

13. How is quartzite formed?

Answer: c) From sandstone being heated and compressed

14. What type of metamorphic rock is often used for carving statues and monuments?
Answer: c) Marble

Section 2: Short Answer - Answers

17. 6. The process is called solidification.

18. 7. Intrusive igneous rocks cool slowly, allowing large crystals to form, while extrusive igneous
rocks cool quickly, forming smaller crystals.

19. 8. Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock that cools quickly and has fine grains, while granite is an
intrusive rock that cools slowly and has large crystals.

20. 9. Sedimentation is the process where sediments settle at the bottom of bodies of water and
gradually form sedimentary rock.

21. 10. Sandstone forms from compacted sand, and limestone forms from compressed marine
organisms' remains.

22. 11. Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces, which can later become sediments and form
sedimentary rocks.

23. 12. Weathering is the breaking down of rocks into smaller pieces. It helps form sedimentary
rocks by providing the small particles that become compressed and cemented over time.

24. 13. Fossils form when dead plants or animals are buried quickly. Over time, minerals replace
their remains, preserving their shape as rock.

25. 14. Heat and pressure cause minerals in rocks to rearrange, changing them into metamorphic
rocks.

26. 15. Sedimentary rock: Sandstone; Metamorphic rock: Marble.

27. 16. Types of fossils include molds, casts, and preserved remains.

28. 17. Shale transforms into slate under high pressure, which compacts the layers into a more
durable rock.

29. 18. Gneiss has bands or stripes due to the rearrangement of minerals under high heat and
pressure.
30. 19. Quartzite is very hard, resistant to weathering, and formed from sandstone undergoing heat
and pressure.

31. 20. Marble is desirable for statues and buildings because it is hard, shiny, and can be polished.

Section 3: Diagram-Based Questions - Answers

21. 12. The diagram should show magma cooling inside the Earth forming intrusive rocks and lava
cooling on the surface forming extrusive rocks.

22. 13. The diagram should show weathering, erosion, deposition, compaction, and cementation in
the formation of sedimentary rocks.

23. 17. The diagram should show layers of sediments forming above a buried organism, which later
fossilizes.

24. 18. The rock cycle diagram should show igneous rocks forming from cooling magma,
sedimentary rocks forming from compressed sediments, and metamorphic rocks forming due to heat
and pressure.

25. 21. The diagram should show layers of shale being compacted under pressure, turning into
slate.

26. 22. The rock cycle diagram should show igneous rocks forming from cooling magma,
sedimentary rocks forming from compressed sediments, and metamorphic rocks forming due to heat
and pressure.