Question

color is a physical property of minerals. different minerals have different colors. for example, gold—of course—is gold! however, color isn’t always a reliable property to identify a mineral. fool’s gold, or pyrite, has a yellowish - gold color too. some minerals come in different colors. garnet, for example, can be red, green, yellow, orange, brown, pink, purple, gray or black. some minerals come in all colors. some minerals can also tarnish or oxidize, which means they can become discolored in certain environments. silver and copper can both become discolored in this way. silver tarnishes black, yellow or brown. copper oxidizes green.
the color of a mineral
choose one option
a is always a result of oxidation.
b is hard to use as an identifying property.
c is an example of a chemical property.
d is never the same color of another mineral.

Explanation:

The text states that "color isn't always a reliable property to identify a mineral" as different minerals can have similar colors (e.g., gold and fool's gold) and some minerals can change color (e.g., due to tarnishing or oxidizing). So, color is hard to use as an identifying property.

• Option A: The text says only some minerals oxidize (like silver and copper), not that color is always a result of oxidation.
• Option C: Color is a physical property, not a chemical property.
• Option D: The text gives examples of different minerals having the same color (gold and fool's gold).

Answer:

B. is hard to use as an identifying property.