Iron ore

• A. Is synthetic
• B. Occurs naturally in Earth's crust
• C. Can be charged directly into a blast furnace without processing
• D. Is only found in liquid form

Answer: (B)

Iron ore is a naturally occurring rock from which metallic iron can be extracted. It exists in the Earth’s crust as solid minerals like hematite and magnetite, formed by geological processes over time. Because of that, iron ore occurs naturally in the crust. It is not synthetic, and it is not only found in liquid form; it is a solid material. In practice, ore is usually processed—crushed and often sintered or pelletized and cleaned of impurities—before being charged into a blast furnace, so the idea of using unprocessed ore directly is not accurate. So the statement that iron ore occurs naturally in the Earth’s crust is the best description.