Geology Benchmark Review

According to the fossil record, when did the dinosaurs become extinct?

• at the end of the Mesozoic Era
• at the end of the Paloezoic Era
• at the start of the Mesozoic Era
• at the start of the Paleozoic Era

What is the law of superposition?

• gneous rock is older than nearby sedimentary rock, which is older than nearby metamorphic rock.
• A sedimentary rock layer in its original position is older than the layers above it and younger than the layers below it.
• Metamorphic rock is older than nearby sedimentary rock because sedimentary rock is deposited before metamorphic rock forms.
• The exact age of a sedimentary rock layer can be found using the layers above and below it, even if the layers are not in their original positions.

The following diagram shows rock layers that are cut by a fault and two bodies of rock (rock 1 and rock 2). What are the relative ages of the features in order of oldest to youngest?

• fault, rock 1, rock 2, layer 1
• layer 1, rock 2, rock 1, fault
• rock 2, layer 1, rock 1, fault
• fault, rock 2, layer 1, rock 1

What is the approximate age of Earth?

• 4.6 billion years
• 4.6 million years
• 46,000 years
• 4,600 years

Based on the Law of Superposition, what can be concluded about fossils?

• Fossils give clues about past climate patterns.
• Fossils form from the hard parts of organisms. 
• The most recent fossils were advanced organisms.
• The oldest fossils are found in the lowest rock layers.

What is the relationship between geological and biological evolutionary theories?

• They both explain history.
• They both provide evidence of change on Earth.
• They both do not agree on evolution.
• They both do not give specific instances of changes.

Which is the best evidence that two continents were once connected?

• They have similar types of rocks and fossils.
• They are in the same stage of succession.
• They exist along the same lines of latitude.
• They have the same climate.

_{Which rock layer in the diagram seems to be the oldest?}

• F
• E
• B
• A

What is the youngest layer in the outcrop?

• A
• B
• C
• D

Which evidence would be most helpful to scientists in determining the age of the Earth?

• a comparison of Earth's composition to other planets' compositions.
• soils, fossils, and remnants of mountains
• sediments, minerals, soils, and size of rocks
• fossil records, rock records, and layers of Earth