Arrange the following substances in their order of increasing hardness: 1. Gypsum 2. Topaz 3. Fluorite 4. Feldspar Select the correct answer using the code given below:

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Q: 34 (CAPF/2016)
Arrange the following substances in their order of increasing hardness:
1. Gypsum
2. Topaz
3. Fluorite
4. Feldspar
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

question_subject: 

Science

question_exam: 

CAPF

stats: 

0,17,77,32,33,12,17

keywords: 

{'hardness': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'fluorite': [0, 0, 0, 1], 'feldspar': [0, 0, 0, 3], 'substances': [0, 0, 1, 1], 'order': [6, 12, 34, 35], 'gypsum': [0, 0, 1, 3], 'topaz': [0, 0, 1, 2]}

The correct answer is option 4, which is 1-4-3-2.

To understand the order of increasing hardness, let`s examine each substance:

1. Gypsum: Gypsum is a soft mineral that can be easily scratched with a fingernail. So, it has the lowest hardness among the given substances.

2. Topaz: Topaz is a harder mineral compared to gypsum. It cannot be easily scratched with a fingernail, but it can be scratched by a steel knife. Therefore, it has a higher hardness than gypsum.

3. Fluorite: Fluorite is harder than both gypsum and topaz. It cannot be scratched by a steel knife but can be scratched by a quartz crystal. Hence, it has a higher hardness than topaz.

4. Feldspar: Feldspar is the hardest mineral among the given substances. It cannot be scratched by a quartz crystal but can be scratched by a diamond. Therefore, it has the highest hardness among all the substances.

So, the correct order of increasing hardness is 1-4-3-2: Gypsum (softest) - Feldspar - Fluorite - Topaz (hardest).