Fossil Quiz

A team of paleontologists discovered a fossil that formed when an organism was buried in sediments that changed into rock. The buried organism decayed and left an impression of its shape, which was filled in with sand and mud before hardening into the shape of the buried organism.

What type of fossil did the paleontologists discover?

• cast fossil

• mold fossil

• petrified fossil

• preserved fossil

Scientists have recently discovered a female woolly mammoth in Siberia that was frozen over 39,000 years ago. What kind of fossil is this mammoth?

• carbonized

• mold

• preserved

• trace

What question could best be answered by studying fossils?

• How are canyons created by rivers?

• How was water formed on Earth's surface?

• How are coral reefs formed on ocean floors?

• How did birds evolve from reptiles over time?

A student records information about a type of fossil.

What type of fossil is recorded by the student?

• cast fossil

• mold fossil

• petrified fossil

• preserved fossil

A scientist collected plant fossils from two different regions. She studied the fossils carefully and recorded her observations in a table.

What types of fossils did the scientist collect?

• Region 1: cast fossil; Region 2: preserved fossil

• Region 1: cast fossil; Region 2: trace fossil

• Region 1: permineralized fossil; Region 2: preserved fossil

• Region 1: petrified fossil; Region 2: trace fossil

The image shows a portion of a fossilized tree trunk from a forest that existed in what is now Arizona approximately 225 million years ago.

How was this fossil formed?

• It was formed when minerals soaked into the buried remains of the tree, replacing the remains and changing them into rock.

• It was formed when the tree was pressed between layers of clay that hardened, squeezing most of the decaying tree away and leaving the carbon imprint in the rock.

• It was formed when the tree was prevented from decaying by being trapped in a quicksand-like material and then exposed after millions of years by erosion.

• It was formed when sediments buried the tree, the sediments changed into rock, and the organism decayed, leaving a cavity in the shape of the organism.

Which organism is least likely to produce a fossil?

• fish

• octopus

• sea snail

• sea star

A 10 million-year-old fossil of an urchin was discovered at a stream site near Charleston. The fossil was likely formed when a tsunami buried the urchin under many layers of mud and silt which compacted the urchin nearly flat. Over time, this sediment became exposed to air and sunlight. This exposure dried out the fossil, hardening it into sedimentary rock and leaving behind an organic impression.

How would this fossil be classified?

• carbonized fossil

• petrified fossil

• preserved fossil

• trace fossil

A student makes a model of a fossil by pressing a seashell into a piece of soft clay and then removing the shell. What kind of fossil does the student make in the clay?

• cast fossil

• mold fossil

• petrified fossil

• preserved fossil

Which of the following is a characteristic of an index fossil?

• The fossil must look like many other fossils.

• The fossil is found only in an isolated part of the world.

• The fossil organism must have lived during a long span of Earth's history.

• The fossil must be found in great numbers.