Quiz about Fossils

Question 1

Which modern organism is most like the prehistoric organism shown in the fossil?

Accepted Answer

dragonfly

Answer

bat

Answer

bird

Answer

fish

Question 2

Look at the fossilized piece of a plant below.

To which type of plant is this fossilized organism most likely related?

Accepted Answer

a tree

Answer

a vine

Answer

a flower

Answer

a fern

Question 3

The picture on the left shows a fossil of the head of the prehistoric creature, Deinotherium. The picture on the right shows an artist's sketch of what the creature may have looked like.

Based on the sketch, what type of modern animal is Deinotherium related to?

Accepted Answer

elephant

Answer

tiger

Answer

bird

Answer

shark

Question 4

There have been many fossils found throughout North America. Most of these fossils are of organisms that lived millions of years ago. Among these are ferns. Ferns were plants with several small leaves along their stems and no seeds or flowers.

Which of the following is most likely a living relative of the fern?

Accepted Answer

W

Answer

X

Answer

Y

Answer

Z

Question 5

In what way are these two fossils similar?

Accepted Answer

They both were made in similar rocks.

Answer

They both show plants with branches and leaves.

Answer

They both show animals that lived 4 million years ago.

Answer

They both show organisms with bones.

Question 6

The picture below is a fossil of an insect.

The insect is probably related to the

Accepted Answer

moth

Answer

spider

Answer

ant

Answer

cockroach

Question 7

What is the best way that scientists can learn what the Earth's atmosphere was like millions of years ago?

Accepted Answer

studying very old fossils and rocks

Answer

studying the gases that are in the atmosphere now

Answer

looking at very old pictures

Answer

looking at the plants and animals that are alive today

Question 8

What can scientists learn by studying fossils?

I.how the Earth's surface has changed over time

II.the appearance of an organism and its structures

III.how species have changed over time

IV.how the Earth's climate has changed over time

Accepted Answer

I, II, III, and IV

Answer

II only

Answer

I and IV only

Answer

I, II, and III

Question 9

The picture below is a fossil from around 500 million years ago.

The animal shown is probably related to the modern

Accepted Answer

worm

Answer

butterfly

Answer

frog

Answer

snail

Question 10

The pictures below show the fossil remains of two different animals.

In what way were these animals probably similar?

Accepted Answer

They both had bones.

Answer

They were the same size.

Answer

They both had four legs.

Answer

They both had hands.

Question 11

A scientist recently found the fossilized remains shown below. He identified them as the prehistoric organism Palaeobatrachus.

Palaeobatrachus resembled the modern _______.

Accepted Answer

frog

Answer

bird

Answer

fish

Answer

rodent

Question 12

The picture below is a fossil of an insect.

The insect is probably related to the

Accepted Answer

wasp

Answer

flea

Answer

mosquito

Answer

fly

Question 13

On the left is a fossil of an extinct organism called the ammonite. On the right is an artist's drawing of what the ammonite probably looked like. What organism alive today is most likely related to the ammonite?

Accepted Answer

squid

Answer

crab

Answer

spider

Answer

fish

Question 14

What information do fossils provide about plants and animals?

Accepted Answer

Animals and plants have changed over time.

Answer

Animals and plants have not changed over time.

Answer

Animals and plants have not developed together.

Answer

Animals and plants have changed recently.

Question 15

A fossil of a pterodactyl is shown below.

Which of these modern animals has a body structure that is most similar to a pterodactyl?

Accepted Answer

a bat

Answer

a moose

Answer

a tuna fish

Answer

an earthworm

Question 16

The picture below shows a fossil that is about as large as the palm of a hand. This fossil is about 3 million years old. It is what remains of a shell that spiraled inward like a coil and was hollow on the inside.

How was the animal that lived inside of this shell probably different from a snail you might find in your backyard?

Accepted Answer

It was larger.

Answer

It carried its shell on its back.

Answer

It had fewer teeth.

Answer

It had bones.

Question 17

By studying fossils, scientists have learned that

Accepted Answer

both animals and plants have changed over time.

Answer

neither animals nor plants have changed over time.

Answer

animals have changed over time, but plants have not.

Answer

plants have changed over time, but animals have not.

Question 18

The picture below is a fossil of a tooth that may be from a sea creature known as the megalodon.

The megalodon is probably related to the

Accepted Answer

shark

Answer

penguin

Answer

seal

Question 19

Which of these is something that fossils can reveal?

Accepted Answer

what organisms lived in the past

Answer

what animals in the past thought

Answer

what animals will live in the future

Answer

how organisms alive today behave

Question 20

Look at the fossil below.

The organism that made this ancient footprint is likely related to modern _______.

Accepted Answer

humans

Answer

birds

Answer

plants

Answer

insects

Question 21

Look at the fossilized remains shown below.

What type of organism did these remains come from?

Accepted Answer

tree

Answer

bear

Answer

duck

Answer

insect

Question 22

Modern birds have feathers that help them fly. Fossils of the ancient creature Archaeopteryx show that it had feathers and a body that was similar in shape to some modern birds.

Which statement results from comparing Archaeopteryx fossils to similar, modern creatures?

Accepted Answer

Archaeopteryx might have been able to fly.

Answer

Archaeopteryx might be a mammal.

Answer

Archaeopteryx lived underground.

Answer

Archaeopteryx was a predator that ate insects.

Question 23

Look at the fossil below.

What type of organism did this fossil likely come from?

Accepted Answer

a fish

Answer

a bird

Answer

a plant

Answer

a mammal

Question 24

The fossil below is perhaps as old as 70 million years.

Which modern organism is most similar to this fossil?

Accepted Answer

a fern plant

Answer

a caterpillar

Answer

a slug

Answer

a blade of grass

Question 25

Scientists think that millions of years ago, the Earth's atmosphere had more carbon dioxide and that it did not have enough oxygen for animals to breathe.