Earth History & Evolution

Look at these undisturbed rock layers.

• the oldest fossils are located in rock layers 1 and 2

• the dinosaur in layer 3 is older than the fern in layer 1

• the skeleton in layer 2 is younger than the bones in layer 1

• the youngest fossil animals are located in rock layer 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

The fossils of swamp plants and animals have been found in desert rocks. What is the BEST explanation for this?

• The climate in the area was once very different

• The animals migrated from a swamp into the desert

• The desert changed into a swamp due to continental drift

• The plants and animals died out after a drought

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Which provides the BEST evidence that sharks and dolphins are not closely related?

• They have different anatomies

• They use different feeding methods

• They evolved at different times

• They live in different parts of the ocean

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Which is LEAST LIKELY to show that two species share a common ancestor?

• They have similar genetic sequences

• They have similar embryo development

• They have analogous body structure

• They have homologous body structures

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-3

How is adaptation shown in the evolutionary history if the whale?

• Over time, flukes and flippers for swimming replaced legs in the ancestors of whales

• The ancestor of whales was a predator that lived on land but entered the water to hunt for fish

• The whale ancestors that learned to swim the fastest passed this trait to their offspring

• Individuals with flippers could not move as well on land, so the trait for flippers disappeared

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Which describes an index fossil?

• it is found only in a small area

• it is fairly common in many places

• it is the fossil of a species that existed for a very long time

• it is difficult to identify

Fossils belonging to the genus Paradoxides are index fossils. These buglike sea creatures existed from 513 to about 500 million years ago. What can a scientist conclude about a fossil clam found in the same rock as Paradoxides?

• the clam is more than 550 million years old

• the clam is also a type of index fossil

• the clam belongs to a species that existed for exactly 13 million years

• the clam is about 500 - 513 million years old

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

What is a scientist MOST LIKELY to discover by studying ice cores?

• how earth's atmosphere has changed over time

• how different types of animals have evolved and become extinct

• how faulting and folding has built mountains in the area

• how long ago the rocks in the area were formed

Tags

NGSS.HS-ESS3-5

Which term BEST describes the process by which species of organism change over time?

• evolution

• superposition

• classification

• extinction

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

Which statement BEST describes how genes are involved in natural selection?

• genes determine an organism's visible characteristics

• gene change as an individual adapts to its environment

• genes are identical among the individuals in a population

• genes that improve survival are passed to the next generation

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-4