How can you tell a rock from a mineral? you can usually tell just by looking at it. though rocks are made from minerals, they look entirely different. rocks are usually gray or brown, and they don't have a definite shape. if you took a small hammer and broke the rock apart, you would find that the inside color is not always the same as the outside. also, rocks feel rough to the touch. while they have no crystals, they can have fossils! minerals are usually quite colorful. that beautiful color is the same on the inside and the outside. they are shiny and smooth to the touch. they do have crystals, but they cannot have fossils! choose the sentence that best summarizes the information. a) minerals are more beautiful than rocks. b) minerals and fossils are different in color. c) rocks and minerals are different in color, how they feel when touched, and the materials that make them. d) the rock's outside color is sometimes different from its inner color.