Rocks, Weathering & the Rock Cycle — Practice · Grade 6 Science

Chapter: Earth Systems, Plates & Earth Materials

What this practice covers

By the end of Rocks, Weathering & the Rock Cycle you should be able to:

8 questions, written answer and multiple choice, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: weathering, erosion, evidence, system boundary, uncertainty.

Problem 1

What process makes them igneous in the stated model?
Answer and explanation

Cooling and solidification from molten material, not merely their color or hardness.

Compare the scientific meaning and reasoning after an independent attempt. A different accurate supported response can be correct; human review is required.

Problem 2

Which stage is transport?
Answer and explanation

Erosion. The earlier breakdown is weathering and the later settling is deposition.

Compare the scientific meaning and reasoning after an independent attempt. A different accurate supported response can be correct; human review is required.

Problem 3

Why is the melted-and-cooled product not classified only by pressure?
Answer and explanation

Its stated formation pathway includes solidification from melt, which is igneous; classification follows the relevant process.

Compare the scientific meaning and reasoning after an independent attempt. A different accurate supported response can be correct; human review is required.

Problem 4

Must every rock complete the same cycle in order?
Answer and explanation

No. The model has alternatives governed by conditions; time spent on each pathway also varies.

Compare the scientific meaning and reasoning after an independent attempt. A different accurate supported response can be correct; human review is required.

Problem 5

Develop a complete response: Identify the processes and rock categories, and explain one alternate route. Include relevant evidence and one method or model limit.
Answer and explanation

Cooling forms igneous rock; weathering supplies loose fragments; erosion transports them; deposition makes sediment layers; cementation can form sedimentary rock. The original igneous rock could instead undergo metamorphism while solid, or later remelt. The sequence does not require every rock to follow these events or specify their duration.

Compare the scientific meaning and reasoning after an independent attempt. A different accurate supported response can be correct; human review is required.

Problem 6

Apply the unit independently: A record says a solid rock changed under heat and pressure without melting. Which major category fits? Give a reason and a relevant qualification.
Answer and explanation

Metamorphic rock under the stated process. If complete melting and later cooling were recorded instead, the formation account would follow an igneous pathway.

Compare the scientific meaning and reasoning after an independent attempt. A different accurate supported response can be correct; human review is required.

Problem 7

Which statement correctly uses weathering in Rocks, Weathering & the Rock Cycle?
  1. weathering: Breakdown or alteration of material in place.
  2. The rock cycle forces every rock through one fixed sequence.
  3. Metamorphism requires complete melting of the rock.
  4. One illustrative result establishes every real condition and needs no further evidence.
Answer and explanation

weathering: Breakdown or alteration of material in place.

Breakdown or alteration of material in place. Cooling forms igneous rock; weathering supplies loose fragments; erosion transports them; deposition makes sediment layers; cementation can form sedimentary rock. The original igneous rock could instead undergo metamorphism while solid, or later remelt. The sequence does not require every rock to follow these events or specify their duration.

Problem 8

Which statement correctly uses erosion in Rocks, Weathering & the Rock Cycle?
  1. The rock cycle forces every rock through one fixed sequence.
  2. erosion: Transport of material by agents such as flowing water, wind, ice, or gravity.
  3. Metamorphism requires complete melting of the rock.
  4. One illustrative result establishes every real condition and needs no further evidence.
Answer and explanation

erosion: Transport of material by agents such as flowing water, wind, ice, or gravity.

Transport of material by agents such as flowing water, wind, ice, or gravity. Cooling forms igneous rock; weathering supplies loose fragments; erosion transports them; deposition makes sediment layers; cementation can form sedimentary rock. The original igneous rock could instead undergo metamorphism while solid, or later remelt. The sequence does not require every rock to follow these events or specify their duration.

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