Unit 6 Lesson 2 quiz

fossil

• the preserved remains or traces of a plant or animal that lived long ago
• an impression of an organism that forms when sediment hardens around the organism
• material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers
• footprints preserved in rock

sediment

• the preserved remains or traces of a plant or animal that lived long ago
• material deposited by water, wind, or glaciers
• a model of an organism formed when sediment fills a mold and hardens
• footprints preserved in rock

trace fossil

• a fossil leaf that is made only of carbon preserved between two rock layers
• footprints preserved in rock
• species that no longer exist
• an impression of an organism that forms when sediment hardens around the organism

At a family reunion, people are talking about everyone’s age. The family members all line up without saying anyone’s exact age. What principle is the family using?

• absolute age

• relative age

• estimate age

• approximate age

Sharon is studying some rock layers near her home. She uses the terms Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic to name them in order of their age. What are all these terms part of?

• the world calendar

• Earth’s history

• the geologic time scale

• the fossil record

Scientists know that the continents have moved across Earth’s surface throughout history. What is the name of the idea that first described the movement of continents?

• plate tectonics

• continental drift

• continent movement

• landform change

Scientists use fossils to describe how all of the environments on Earth have changed over time. Which fossil discovery represents a change in the environment where the fossil was found?

• fish in rocks on top of a mountain

• seashells in the sand at the beach

• horse bones in soil in the prairie

• polar bear bones in Alaska

Many fossils found today are from plants and animals that no longer live on Earth. Sometimes this is due to a large number of species dying out over a relatively short time. What do scientists call this type of dying out?

• great die-off

• species death

• mass extinction

• population change

Julian was given a bag with several fossils in it from the rock layers shown below. If one of the fossils is older than layer 1, but younger than layer 3, which rock layer was it collected from?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Which fossil’s relative age cannot be determined based on its position?

• a fossil found in every rock layer

• a fossil found in the bottom rock layer

• a fossil found in the top rock layer

• a fossil found in a middle rock layer