Variation: Part 1 Test

A fossil is the remains or traces of organisms that lived in the past. Which statement is TRUE about fossils?

• A fossil never includes a complete organism.

• A fossil shows the evolution of an entire species.

• Much of the evidence for evolution comes from fossils.

• Fossils have provided a complete history of Earth’s life forms.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Although it is incomplete, the fossil record provides scientists with a great deal of information about species that have lived on Earth throughout its history. Which of the following statements does the fossil record support?

• All organisms that have ever existed on Earth continue to live on Earth today.

• Earth’s organisms have remained unchanged throughout its history.

• Dinosaurs are the only types of organisms that have become extinct.

• Not all species that are alive today were alive in the past.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Organisms are classified according to shared characteristics. This process has led to the development of a classification system that has various levels of organization. Which of the following levels of classification is of the highest hierarchy?

• kingdom

• class

• domain

• species

The domain Bacteria is made up of a kingdom of organisms known as Eubacteria. Which statement is TRUE about organisms classified as Eubacteria?

• They are all multicellular.

• They are all eukaryotes.

• They are all prokaryotes.

• They are all parasitic.

All animals fit into different levels of classification. The illustration below shows several of these classification levels.

Which number on the illustration represents the species level?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

In the 1700s, Carolus Linnaeus tried to classify all living things. He developed a seven-level system of classification, which is still used today. Linnaeus grouped lower levels into successively higher levels, based on shared characteristics. What group is made up of different orders?

• species

• family

• genus

• class

Carolus Linnaeus began the practice of assigning all organisms two-word scientific names. Which of the following correctly describes the words that make up an organism’s scientific name?

• class and order

• genus and species

• genus and phylum

• kingdom and phylum

Fossils are the preserved remains of organisms that lived long ago. According to the Law of Superposition, the rock layers that contain fossils should be far below Earth’s surface. Which answer BEST explains why fossils are sometimes found at or near the surface?

• Fossils are less dense than rock, so they rise to the surface.

• Fossils are moved to the surface by other organisms.

• Sedimentary rock layers are relatively soft, and new fossils sink through upper layers into older, deeper layers.

• Some rock layers with fossils have been exposed because of different processes, such as faulting, folding, and weathering.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

The diagram shows the folding of rock layers that occurs in the process of mountain building.

Which layer in the diagram is the youngest?

• Layer L

• Layer M

• Layer N

• Layer Q

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

The rock layers that make up the Grand Canyon range in age from 2 billion to 230 million years. What would a scientist need in order to compare the absolute ages of rocks from two different parts of the canyon?

• the location of each rock

• the size and hardness of each rock

• the size of the crystals that make up each rock

• the amounts of radioactive elements in each rock

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4