Metamorphic Petrology – MCQs

1. Metamorphic rocks are formed by:
(A) Cooling of magma
(B) Weathering of rocks
(C) Heat, pressure, and chemical processes
(D) Compaction of sediments

2. The parent rock of marble is:
(A) Granite
(B) Limestone
(C) Shale
(D) Sandstone

3. The parent rock of quartzite is:
(A) Shale
(B) Sandstone
(C) Limestone
(D) Granite

4. The parent rock of slate is:
(A) Limestone
(B) Shale
(C) Granite
(D) Basalt

5. Which of the following is a foliated metamorphic rock?
(A) Marble
(B) Quartzite
(C) Schist
(D) Hornfels

6. Which of the following is a non-foliated metamorphic rock?
(A) Slate
(B) Gneiss
(C) Quartzite
(D) Schist

7. Slate is commonly used for:
(A) Road metal
(B) Roofing tiles
(C) Cement manufacture
(D) Glass making

8. Which texture shows segregation of light and dark minerals?
(A) Slaty
(B) Schistose
(C) Gneissic
(D) Granoblastic

9. Which rock forms under the lowest grade of regional metamorphism?
(A) Schist
(B) Gneiss
(C) Slate
(D) Migmatite

10. Which rock forms under the highest grade of regional metamorphism?
(A) Slate
(B) Schist
(C) Gneiss
(D) Phyllite

11. Phyllite has a characteristic:
(A) Shiny surface due to mica
(B) Glassy texture
(C) Banding of minerals
(D) Vesicular texture

12. Schist is characterized by:
(A) Large feldspar crystals
(B) Abundant quartz veins
(C) Parallel arrangement of platy minerals
(D) Vesicular texture

13. Which metamorphic rock commonly shows “schistosity”?
(A) Slate
(B) Schist
(C) Gneiss
(D) Quartzite

14. The term “migmatite” refers to:
(A) Low-grade metamorphic rock
(B) Rock between metamorphic and igneous state
(C) Non-foliated rock
(D) Weathered granite

15. Contact metamorphism is caused mainly by:
(A) Pressure
(B) Heat
(C) Burial
(D) Regional stress

16. Regional metamorphism is mainly caused by:
(A) High temperature
(B) High pressure
(C) Both temperature and pressure
(D) Chemical weathering

17. Hornfels forms typically in:
(A) Regional metamorphism
(B) Contact metamorphism
(C) Burial metamorphism
(D) Hydrothermal metamorphism

18. Greenschist facies are characterized by:
(A) Olivine and pyroxene
(B) Chlorite and actinolite
(C) Feldspar and quartz
(D) Calcite and dolomite

19. Blueschist facies are characterized by:
(A) Garnet and sillimanite
(B) Glaucophane and lawsonite
(C) Chlorite and biotite
(D) Pyroxene and olivine

20. Which is not a polymorph of Al₂SiO₅?
(A) Andalusite
(B) Kyanite
(C) Sillimanite
(D) Staurolite

21. Kyanite is stable at:
(A) Low temperature and high pressure
(B) High temperature and low pressure
(C) Low pressure and low temperature
(D) High temperature and high pressure

22. Sillimanite is stable at:
(A) Low temperature
(B) High temperature
(C) Low pressure
(D) Contact metamorphism only

23. Andalusite is stable at:
(A) Low pressure and moderate temperature
(B) High pressure and high temperature
(C) High pressure and low temperature
(D) Subduction zones

24. The process of recrystallization produces:
(A) New minerals without change in bulk composition
(B) Melting of rocks
(C) Weathering of minerals
(D) Glassy textures

25. Metasomatism involves:
(A) Addition or removal of chemical components
(B) Only heat and pressure
(C) Formation of glass
(D) Vesicular structures

26. Cataclastic metamorphism is associated with:
(A) High heat
(B) Tectonic shear zones
(C) Volcanic eruptions
(D) Deep burial

27. A metamorphic aureole forms around:
(A) Fault zones
(B) Igneous intrusions
(C) Sedimentary basins
(D) Ocean ridges

28. Which of the following is foliated?
(A) Marble
(B) Quartzite
(C) Gneiss
(D) Hornfels

29. Which is not a foliated metamorphic rock?
(A) Slate
(B) Schist
(C) Marble
(D) Gneiss

30. Which metamorphic rock commonly contains garnet?
(A) Schist
(B) Slate
(C) Quartzite
(D) Hornfels

31. Which metamorphic process involves alignment of minerals under directed pressure?
(A) Recrystallization
(B) Foliation
(C) Metasomatism
(D) Cataclasis

32. Granulite facies are stable at:
(A) Low temperature and pressure
(B) High temperature and pressure
(C) Shallow burial
(D) Contact metamorphism

33. Zeolite facies represent:
(A) Lowest grade metamorphism
(B) Highest grade metamorphism
(C) Contact metamorphism
(D) Hydrothermal alteration

34. Eclogite is characterized by:
(A) Quartz and feldspar
(B) Garnet and omphacite
(C) Calcite and dolomite
(D) Chlorite and muscovite

35. Which is the hardest metamorphic rock?
(A) Schist
(B) Marble
(C) Quartzite
(D) Slate

36. Which rock type is often produced by dynamic metamorphism?
(A) Slate
(B) Mylonite
(C) Gneiss
(D) Quartzite

37. The alignment of platy minerals like mica is called:
(A) Banding
(B) Foliation
(C) Granoblastic texture
(D) Schistosity

38. Marble is composed mainly of:
(A) Calcite
(B) Quartz
(C) Feldspar
(D) Olivine

39. Which rock is commonly formed in subduction zones?
(A) Gneiss
(B) Blueschist
(C) Quartzite
(D) Marble

40. Chlorite zone represents:
(A) High-grade metamorphism
(B) Very low-grade metamorphism
(C) Contact metamorphism
(D) Migmatization

41. Granoblastic texture is common in:
(A) Non-foliated metamorphic rocks
(B) Foliated metamorphic rocks
(C) Igneous rocks
(D) Sedimentary rocks

42. Which rock is used for sculpture and building due to softness?
(A) Slate
(B) Quartzite
(C) Marble
(D) Schist

43. The process of partial melting during high-grade metamorphism is called:
(A) Cataclasis
(B) Migmatization
(C) Metasomatism
(D) Recrystallization

44. Which rock has a silky sheen and is intermediate between slate and schist?
(A) Phyllite
(B) Quartzite
(C) Gneiss
(D) Hornfels

45. Metamorphic rocks that contain economically important graphite, talc, or asbestos form mainly by:
(A) Thermal metamorphism
(B) Contact metamorphism
(C) Regional metamorphism
(D) Hydrothermal metamorphism

46. Amphibolite is composed mainly of:
(A) Amphibole and plagioclase
(B) Quartz and feldspar
(C) Calcite and dolomite
(D) Chlorite and mica

47. Which index mineral indicates high-grade metamorphism?
(A) Chlorite
(B) Garnet
(C) Staurolite
(D) Sillimanite

48. Which mineral is diagnostic of low-grade metamorphism?
(A) Sillimanite
(B) Kyanite
(C) Chlorite
(D) Garnet

49. A rock with alternating dark and light bands is:
(A) Schist
(B) Slate
(C) Gneiss
(D) Quartzite

50. Which of the following rocks forms at the highest pressure conditions?
(A) Marble
(B) Quartzite
(C) Eclogite
(D) Hornfels