Evolution and Fossil Evidence

Multiple Choice

What is the significance of studying evolution and fossil evidence in understanding life's changes over time?

• It helps us predict future species.

• It reveals how life has changed and adapted.

• It only tells us about dinosaurs.

• It is mainly for entertainment.

Multiple Choice

When living things change over many, many years, this is called

• evolution

• generation

• growth

• biogenesis

Multiple Choice

Biodiversity means..

• The variety of life in an ecosystem

• How an ecosystem changes over time

• Differences among humans

• Diversity of a select few species in a deserted area

Multiple Choice

Which organism is most likely to become fossilized in the next million years?

• a butterfly

• a giraffe

• an octopus

• an earthworm

Dropdown

The fossils found closer to the surface of the ground are generally -

Select answer

Multiple Choice

What word do we use to describe a species which has no members still living?

• endangered
• extinct
• diverse

Multiple Choice

A student is examining the skeleton of a modern-day horse, which appeared in the fossil record about 1 million years ago, and notices some similarities between the horse’s bone structure and the fossilized leg bone of Pliohippus, a four-legged mammal that lived about 100–500 million years ago but no longer lives today. Which of the following conclusions could the student draw about Pliohippus?

• Pliohippus likely mated with modern-day horses, and the offspring resembled modern-day horses more than Pliohippus.

• Pliohippus must have used its legs differently than modern-day horses do.

• There is no relationship between the modern-day horse and Pliohippus.

• Pliohippus is related to modern-day horses.

Multiple Choice

Which type of fossil helps scientists understand ancient atmospheric conditions?

• Coral fossils

• Ice age fossils

• Plant fossils

• Dinosaur fossils

Open Ended

What other possible event might have caused the dinosaur extinction?

Multiple Choice

What was the purpose of looking at the transitional fossils between fish and tetrapods? (Choose the BEST answer)

• To look at the origin of species

• To see how comparing the anatomy of fossils can be used as evidence of ancestry lines

• To look at fossils

• To take up class time

Fill in the Blanks

Fossils are our best evidence for understanding life's history on

.

Multiple Select

Which statements about fossils are true?

• Fossils show us that species diversity results from evolution and extinction.

• Fossils provide direct evidence that species change over time.

• Fossils only reveal information about extinct species.

• Fossils help us understand ancient atmospheric conditions.

Fill in the Blanks

Fossils provide evidence for

and species diversity.

Open Ended

How do we know what lived on Earth before humans existed?