8th Grade Chapter 8

Multiple Choice

Which Era was mainly dominated by dinosaurs?

• Cenozoic

• Jurassic

• Mesozoic

• Paleozoic

Multiple Choice

Which Era has the most complex organisms?

• Cenozoic

• Mesozoic

• Paleozoic

• Quaternary

Multiple Choice

Which Era occurred last (most recent)?

• Cenozoic

• Mesozoic

• Paleozoic

Multiple Choice

Which period is closest to present day?

• Cambrian

• Devonian

• Triassic

• Tertiary

Multiple Choice

What type of environment do you think was present during the Devonian Period?

• mostly land

• land with some water

• mostly water

• water with some land

Multiple Choice

What is the oldest organism on the geologic time scale?

• primitive horses

• sea scorpions

• giant insects

• trilobites

Multiple Choice

How many years ago did the Mesozoic Era begin?

• 245 years

• 245 million years

• 65 years

• 65 million years

Multiple Choice

Which organisms are the most recent (closest to present day)?

• primitive reptiles

• giant insects

• primitive horses

• brachiopods

Multiple Choice

How old do Paleontologists believe the Earth is?

• 2019 years old

• 3.6 billion years old

• 4.6 billion years old

• 4.6 million years old

Multiple Choice

a model scientists use to describe the timing of events and the relationships between those events in earth’s history.

• geologic time scale

• era

• period

• epoch

Multiple Choice

What type of event usually marks the end of an Era

• A Mass Extinction

• A Quinceanera

• An earthquake

• A Volcanic Eruption

Multiple Choice

Scientists chose where units of geologic time began and ended based on the appearance or disappearance of life.

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

What are the names of ALL parts of the geologic time scale in correct order from broadest to narrowest?

• era, period, eon

• eon, era, period, epoch

• era, eon, epoch, period

• eon, era, epoch, period

Multiple Choice

By which method have scientists determined that the Earth is about 4.5 billion years old?

• plate tectonics
• relative dating
• radioactive dating
• law of superposition

Multiple Choice

The bottom layer of rock...

• is the oldest

• is the youngest

• has the most fossils

Multiple Choice

Dinosaur fossils are often found in layers of

• sedimentary rock

• igneous rock

• metamorphic rock

Multiple Choice

The soft parts of organisms are most likely to become fossils. 

• True
• False

Multiple Choice

A trait or change in lifestyle that helps a plant or animal survive in its environment

• adaptation

• evolution

• homologous

• vestigial

Multiple Choice

Which era of geologic time do we currently live in?

• Cenozoic
• Mesozoic
• Paleozoic
• Archaen

Multiple Choice

Identify the Era:
where dinosaurs thrived

• Precambrian
• Paleozoic
• Mesozoic
• Cenozoic

Multiple Choice

Identify the Era:
Humans live in this era

• Precambrian
• Paleozoic
• Mesozoic
• Cenozoic

Multiple Choice

The Cenozoic Era is often called "the Age of the ____"

• Dinosaurs
• Mammals
• Amphibians
• Reptiles

Multiple Choice

Eras of the geologic time scale are
divided into ______.

• periods
• ages
• units
• epochs

Multiple Choice

Plants and animals first reached land during the 

• Mesozoic Era
• Cenozoic Era
• Paleozoic Era
• Precambrian

Multiple Choice

Identify the Era:
Amphibians first developed in this era.

• Precambrian
• Paleozoic
• Mesozoic
• Cenozoic

Multiple Choice

How did the Earth change 2.5 billion years ago when many organisms began using photosynthesis to make food?

• the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere increased
• mass extinction occurred
• the oceans became larger
• rainfall increased

Multiple Choice

How many periods is Earth's history divided into?

• 9
• 10
• 11
• 12

Multiple Choice

A plant can become a fossil.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Extinct animals may return one day.

• True

• False

Multiple Select

Check the boxes that show things we can learn from fossils.

• what the animal ate

• if the animal was angry

• the animal's size

• how fast the animal was

• if the animal was hungry

Multiple Choice

A scientist who studies fossils is called a

• meteorologist

• paleontologist

• zoo keeper

• fossilist

Multiple Choice

What can an animals fossilized teeth tell us?

• how fast the animal was

• if the animal smiled

• the food the animal ate

• where the animal lived

Multiple Choice

All fossils come from dinosaurs

• True

• False

​What does the word fossil mean?

Comes from the word fossilis meaning "dug up."

​What are fossils?

Fossils are remains or traces of organisms that lived over 10,000 years ago that form extremely slowly.

​What are the different kinds of fossils?

• Trace fossils (record the actions of organisms such as burrowing, footprints, slithering, nests, etc.​Mold fossils (impression left behind after organism decayed)

• Cast fossil (forms when minerals fill up molds)

• ​True form (fossils of the actual organism)

• Fossil fuels (fuel formed from the remains of living organisms such as petroleum, oil, gas, coal, )

• ​Original form (some mummies)

Multiple Choice

Which type of fossil is seen here?

• cast

• mold

• true

• trace

​

​What factors effect the formation of a fossil?

• ​the nature of its body tissues and structures (hard tissues such as bone and teeth are more likely to fossilize than soft tissues like eyes and heart)

• ​behavior and habitat (cold, dry habitats allow for slower decay)

• ​manner of death and burial (organisms with hard shells or sediment dwelling are more likely to fossilize)

​

​

Multiple Choice

All of the following are often related to fossil formation and discovery except

• burial

• exposure

• erosion

• flooding

Multiple Choice

Most fossils are formed within which kind of rock?

• sedimentary

• metamorphic

• igneous

• they form equally in all types of rock

Multiple Choice

Click to enlarge. Study this carefully. Which fossil in the oldest?

• Fossil 1

• Fossil 2

• fossil 3

Multiple Choice

Which layer is the oldest?

• A

• F

• Can not be determined

• They are all the same age.

Multiple Choice

Which layer is the youngest?

• A

• F

• Can not tell

• They are all the same age.

Multiple Choice

If fossils in layer D are 100 million years old and in layer B they are 110 million years old, how old might are the fossils in layer C? Choose the best answer.

• 90 million years old

• 120 million years old

• 105 million years old

• 50 million years old