Which one of the following is a non-metallic mineral?

Q: What is the answer to NDA (II) 2019 GAT Q101?

B. Correct — B, mica. Mica is a non-metallic mineral — a silicate valued for its perfect cleavage and its use as an electrical and thermal insulator, not as a source of metal. Iron, copper and bauxite are all metallic minerals, mined specifically to extract the metal they contain.

(a)Iron
(b)Mica
(c)Copper
(d)Bauxite

Answer

Why

Correct — B, mica. Mica is a non-metallic mineral — a silicate valued for its perfect cleavage and its use as an electrical and thermal insulator, not as a source of metal. Iron, copper and bauxite are all metallic minerals, mined specifically to extract the metal they contain.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Iron — Iron is a metallic mineral — its ores (haematite, magnetite) are mined and smelted to obtain iron metal, so it is not non-metallic.
(c)
Copper — Copper is a metallic mineral; ores such as chalcopyrite are worked to recover copper metal.
(d)
Bauxite — Bauxite is the chief metallic ore of aluminium, so it is classed with the metallic minerals, not the non-metallic ones.

Concept

Minerals are broadly grouped as metallic (worked to extract a metal) and non-metallic (used for the mineral itself, not a metal). Non-metallic minerals such as mica, limestone, gypsum and dolomite lack metallic lustre and malleability, and are prized for physical or chemical properties rather than for a recoverable metal.

Scan each option for whether it is mined to obtain a metal. Iron, copper and bauxite all yield metals, leaving mica — an insulating silicate — as the only non-metallic mineral. The trap is treating any hard, shiny mineral as 'metallic'; mica is shiny but is an insulator, not a metal ore.

Key facts

Mica is a non-metallic mineral valued as an electrical and heat insulator.
India's mica belt runs through Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Iron, copper and bauxite are metallic minerals mined to extract their metals.
Bauxite is the principal ore of aluminium.

A thin, transparent, flexible cleavage sheet of muscovite mica held up to the light. — Mica splits into thin flexible sheets and resists heat and electricity, which is why it is grouped with the non-metallic minerals rather than the metal ores.Image: James St. John · Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Study next

Classification of minerals: metallic, non-metallic and fuel/energy mineralsDistribution of mica, iron ore and bauxite in IndiaUses of mica in the electrical and electronics industriesFerrous versus non-ferrous metallic mineralsConservation of mineral resources

Common traps

Assuming any shiny or hard mineral is metallic — mica is lustrous but is an insulator, not a metal ore.
Confusing bauxite (a metallic ore of aluminium) with a non-metallic mineral.

One mineral must be sorted from a list as non-metallic — recall which are worked for a metal (iron, copper, bauxite) and which are used for the mineral itself (mica).

Related PYQs

NDA_GAT_2025_II_Q1282025Open & attempt →

Match List I with List II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists: List I (City) A. Bewar B. Balaghat C. Bilaspur D. Ballary List II (Mineral) 1. Manganese 2. Mica 3. Iron-ore 4. Bauxite Code:

(a) A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2
(b) A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
(c) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
(d) A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3

Answer(c) A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

Same concept — identifying Indian minerals (mica, iron-ore, bauxite, manganese) and their producing districts. This item asks which of a list is non-metallic; that NDA item pairs the same minerals with their source regions.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following is the chief ore of aluminium?
- (a)Haematite
- (b)Bauxite
- (c)Mica
- (d)Limestone
Answer(b) Bauxite — the principal metallic ore from which aluminium is extracted.
practice — not a real PYQ
Which one of the following is a non-metallic mineral used mainly as an electrical insulator?
- (a)Manganese
- (b)Bauxite
- (c)Mica
- (d)Copper
Answer(c) Mica — a non-metallic silicate widely used for electrical insulation.