Question

Which statement best compares coal and ores?

Both are burned for energy.
Both take millions of years to form.
Both require oxygen to form.
Both are used to make coins.

Answer 1

Both take millions of years to form.

Coal forms from plant remains buried and compacted over millions of years; ores form by geological processes (magmatic, hydrothermal, sedimentary) that also take very long times. The other choices are incorrect: ores aren’t burned for energy, formation doesn’t require oxygen, and coins are made from metals refined from ores (not from coal).