|Question 26Verbal

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While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
• The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is a ten-point scale that orders minerals by hardness based on their ability to scratch other minerals.
• Minerals with larger numbers are harder than minerals with smaller numbers and can leave visible scratches on them.
• Minerals with smaller numbers are softer than minerals with larger numbers and cannot leave visible scratches on them.
• The mineral fluorite has a Mohs scale number of 4.
• The mineral quartz has a Mohs scale number of 7.
• The mineral corundum has a Mohs scale number of 9.
The student wants to compare the hardness of the three minerals. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Based on their Mohs scale numbers, corundum (9) is harder than quartz (7), and quartz is harder than fluorite (4).
A
The Mohs scale of mineral hardness can be used to order quartz, fluorite, and corundum by their ability to scratch other minerals.
B
A mineral with a Mohs number of 9, like corundum, is harder than one with a Mohs number of 7, like quartz.
C
Corundum can leave visible scratches on fluorite, which is why corundum has a higher number than fluorite on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
D