Question

Which of the following is true of all minerals?

A. Made of many different elements
B. Come from the ground as crystals
C. Can be liquids, solids, and gases
D. Made of one or more elements from the periodic table

Answer 1

D. Because it's true of any form of matter whatsoever. I think you're supposed to work through the others and realize the flaws in each, viz.:

A. But you have things like native gold or mercury, pure sulfur deposits, diamond and graphite, and so forth, all of which are made of only one element. It's true MOST minerals are made of more than one element -- but not all.

B. Quite a lot of minerals are not crystalline, because of the rapid cooling they did from the molten state. The most important of these is silica (SiO2), which forms "glasses" very easily, whether we are talking about actual glass that you put in your window or volcanic glasses.

C. Well, if it's a liquid, as in lava, I suppose it might still be called a mineral, but definitely not if it's a gas. Nobody calls radon or CO2 a "mineral." Generally the word "mineral" is reserved for solids.