Fossils and Studying Earth's Past

Which type of fossil is shown?

• carbon film

• original remains

• trace fossils

• permineralized remains

When scientists analyze the fossil record, they find organisms that are similar to some organisms of today with noticeable changes. How does this help scientists to interpret the past?

• It doesn't help them at all.

• It allows them to see how organisms have changed over time.

• It allows them to see how organisms have remained the same over time.

• It allows them to see that there is no relationship between the past and today.

Fossils after the Precambrian period show evidence of legs and eyes, indicating that the presence of predators stimulated the beginning of animal diversity.

• True

• False

Fossils that are found in cold arctic environments are known to belong to an animal species that once lived in much warmer climates.

• True

• False

Many marine fossils have high contents of silica and calcium, which indicate the use of these materials to encase the bodies of organisms.

• True

• False

Fossil body parts of an animal and its location of excavation confirm that these animal species underwent minimal adaptations from one period to the next.

• True

• False

How can fossils tell us about Earth's past?

• Fossils give clues about environmental changes where the organism lived.

• Fossils can be used to date the time period of rocks and rock layers when the organism lived.

• Fossils can give clues of changes in the organism's body structure over time.

• All of the above are true.

Scientists have found large groups of fossils of marine organisms on mountaintops. What does this tell scientists about the past?

• That these rocks were once below the surface of an ocean.

• That these organisms left the ocean and climbed to the top of an inland mountain to die.

• That these rocks were always above the surface of an ocean.

• That these rocks must have been moved there by some one else.

Which fossil life forms first appeared in the Precambrian period? check all that apply

• bacteria

• invertebrates

• amphibians

• primitive marine plants

• dinosaurs

Which fossil life forms first appeared in the Paleozoic period? check all that apply

• bacteria

• invertebrates

• amphibians

• primitive marine plants

• dinosaurs