Question

quartz is a mineral, but oil is not. minerals must be naturally occurring, not man - mad applies to both quartz and oil. but minerals also must be solid. quartz is a solid, but oil liquid. minerals cannot be alive or come from anything that was part of something living quartz meets this requirement. oil, however, is made of tiny plants and animals that became buried over millions of years. as pure substances, minerals can be described by chemical formulas. a minerals composition wont vary. some minerals are just one elemen like gold and zinc, and can be found on the periodic table of elements. other minerals are compounds that contain combinations of the same elements in the same amounts. quartz is a compound. every piece of quartz has the same composition with the chemical formula sio2. oil is a mixture, which isnt a pure substance and cannot be described by a chemical formula. lastly, minerals are crystalline. their atoms are arranged in a repeated structure. you can often see the crystals in quartz. oil doesnt have a crystalline structure. which of the following would be a clue that a substance is a mineral? choose one option a it appears on the periodic table of elements b it exists as a liquid or gas c it comes from a specific type of flower

Explanation:

• Option A: Elements appear on the periodic table, not minerals. Minerals can be elements (like gold) or compounds (like quartz).
• Option B: Minerals must be solid. So a substance that exists as a liquid or gas is not a mineral.
• Option C: Minerals cannot come from something that was alive (like a flower).

Answer:

None of the options A, B, or C are correct based on the mineral - defining characteristics (naturally occurring, solid, not from living things, pure substance with a chemical formula or element, crystalline). But if we assume there is a typo and the intended correct property is related to the text's mention of minerals being described by chemical formulas (some are elements on the periodic table), and considering the elimination of B (minerals are solid) and C (minerals don't come from living things like flowers), if we assume the question is mis - phrased and the intended clue is related to the fact that some minerals are elements (which are on the periodic table), then A is the least wrong among the given options. But strictly based on the text, there is an error in the options as the key clues (solid, crystalline, pure substance) are not presented. However, if forced to choose from the given options:
A. it appears on the periodic table of elements