The Rock Cycle — Drills · Grade 9 Science

Chapter: Rocks, Landscapes & Water

What these drills covers

By the end of The Rock Cycle you should be able to:

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

Vocabulary used: rock cycle, lithification, metamorphism, magma.

Problem 1

Heat and pressure acting on an existing rock without melting it produce
  1. igneous rock
  2. sedimentary rock
  3. metamorphic rock
  4. magma
Answer and explanation

metamorphic rock

Metamorphism changes a rock in the solid state.

Problem 2

Igneous rock forms when
  1. sediment is compacted
  2. magma or lava cools and solidifies
  3. rock is squeezed without melting
  4. shells accumulate
Answer and explanation

magma or lava cools and solidifies

Cooling from a molten state is what defines igneous rock.

Problem 3

Which sequence is possible in the rock cycle?
  1. Sedimentary to metamorphic to magma to igneous
  2. Igneous only to sedimentary
  3. Metamorphic only to igneous
  4. Sedimentary cannot change
Answer and explanation

Sedimentary to metamorphic to magma to igneous

Any rock type can become any other given the right conditions; the cycle has no fixed one-way path.

Problem 4

Compaction and cementation of sediment produce
  1. igneous rock
  2. sedimentary rock
  3. metamorphic rock
  4. lava
Answer and explanation

sedimentary rock

Burial squeezes grains together and minerals cement them.

Problem 5

The energy driving the rock cycle comes mainly from
  1. Earth's internal heat and the Sun
  2. the Moon
  3. the oceans alone
  4. lightning
Answer and explanation

Earth's internal heat and the Sun

Internal heat drives melting and uplift; solar energy drives weathering, erosion and transport.

Problem 6

A rock layer accumulates at 0.5 mm per year. How many years does a 50 mm layer take to form?
Answer and explanation

100 years

50 / 0.5 = 100 years.

Problem 7

Explain why the rock cycle is drawn as a cycle rather than a straight sequence.
Answer and explanation

Because there is no fixed start or end and no single path: a sedimentary rock may be metamorphosed, melted and cooled as igneous, or weathered straight back into sediment. Any type can become any other depending on the conditions it meets, so a cycle with multiple routes represents the processes more honestly than a line would.

Response criteria

  • State a scientifically accurate conclusion.
  • Show the data, mechanism, or calculation that supports it.
  • Include units, conditions, or limits where relevant.

Problem 8

Describe the processes needed to turn an igneous rock into a sedimentary one.
Answer and explanation

Weathering breaks the igneous rock into fragments at the surface, erosion moves those fragments, and deposition lays them down somewhere, typically in water. Burial then compacts the sediment and dissolved minerals cement the grains together, producing sedimentary rock. Each step needs energy — from the Sun and gravity — and the sequence takes a long time.

Response criteria

  • State a scientifically accurate conclusion.
  • Show the data, mechanism, or calculation that supports it.
  • Include units, conditions, or limits where relevant.

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