Sinhalite MCQs

 

Sinhalite: Interactive MCQ Quiz

Choose one answer for each question, then select Submit Quiz. Your score and explanations will appear below.

1. What was sinhalite thought to be until 1952?

A brown variety of topaz
A yellow variety of zircon
A brown variety of peridot
A dark form of chrysoberyl

2. What did closer investigation establish about sinhalite?

It was a completely new mineral
It was a synthetic peridot
It was actually brown topaz
It was a variety of zircon

3. Which color range does the book give for sinhalite?

Blue to violet
Pink to red
Colorless to white
Pale yellowish brown to dark greenish brown

4. Which colors may sinhalite show from different directions?

Blue, green, and red
Pale brown, greenish brown, and dark brown
Pink, orange, and yellow
Colorless, white, and gray

5. What optical property accounts for sinhalite’s different colors from different directions?

Cat’s-eye effect
Iridescence
Pleochroism
Fluorescence

6. For whom does the book say sinhalite is occasionally faceted?

Collectors
For everyday industrial use
For use as building stone
Only for making mirrors

7. Which group of gemstones may be confused with cut sinhalite?

Emerald, ruby, and sapphire
Calcite, dolomite, and barite
Topaz, danburite, and phenakite
Peridot, chrysoberyl, and zircon

8. Where is most gem-quality sinhalite found?

As large crystals in pegmatites in Italy
As rolled pebbles in Sri Lankan gem gravels
As colorless crystals in Namibia
As fibrous masses in limestone caves

9. What does “sinhala” refer to in the explanation of sinhalite’s name?

The Greek word for brown
A town in Myanmar
The Sanskrit name for Sri Lanka
The name of a gemstone cutter

10. Which set of properties matches sinhalite in the book’s table?

Orthorhombic, magnesium aluminum iron borate, hardness 6½
Orthorhombic, magnesium iron silicate, hardness 5½
Trigonal, complex borosilicate, hardness 7½
Orthorhombic, lead sulfate, hardness 3