Fossils Unit Test

A boy was hiking through a desert with his family. He found a fossilized insect that has pinchers for eating grass while he was digging in the sand. What can the boy conclude about the habitat of the once living insect?

• The area was always a desert and someone put the fossil there.

• The area was once covered in water and must have had sea animals.

• The area must have once had lots of grass because of the characteristics of the fossil.

• The area has always been a desert because of the location where the fossil was found.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

A student went on a fossil dig in the desert and found the two following fossils. (look at the picture)

 These fossils used to live in a salt water environment. What can the student conclude about the environment and how it has changed?

• The environment has always been a desert environment because a horseshoe crab and ammonite fossil were found in a desert.

• The environment has changed over time from an area covered with water to a desert because long ago the animals lived in water.

• The environment has always been a desert environment, but the horseshoe crab and ammonite fossil moved locations over time.

• The environment has changed over time from an area covered in forests with a lot of trees since there is water for these creatures to live in.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Two fossils are found in a cold mountain region. One is a fish fossil and the other is a palm tree fossil. What can you infer about the environment in which these organisms used to live?

• A warm ocean environment because fish are found in areas with water and palm trees are found in warm ocean environments.

• A cold mountain region because an environment cannot change its type of environment over time.

• A warm mountain region because since there are palm trees, the area needs to be warm.

• A hot desert because palm trees are found in hot areas.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

A student is observing two fossils found in a warm wooded region. One fossil is of an animal and one of a plant. Both of these fossils appear to have the same characteristic that they retain water. What can you infer about the environment in which these organisms lived?

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived in an ocean because they need water in order to survive.

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived in a desert since these organisms are able to live where there is limited water.

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived on the coast next to the ocean because they lived on land, but need access to the ocean.

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived in a wooded area because there are a lot of types of plants and animals found in this region.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

A group of friends were hiking to the top of a mountain. When they got to the top of the mountain, they discovered several fossils of animals like the one pictured.

What clues does the fossil give you about how the animal moved and what type of habitat it lived in?

• This animal lived at the bottom of the mountain since it was discovered at the mountain, but the mountain rose in height over time.

• This animal lived at the top of a mountain since that is the location it was discovered.

• This animal lived in a water environment such as a lake or ocean since it has bones

• This animal lived in a water environment since it has dorsal fins.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Erik and Carol are each creating a model to represent how an imprint of a leaf fossil is formed.  (look at the picture for what they did)

Who has a more accurate model?

• Erik, because he used play dough and it will decompose in the soil.

• Carol, because the glue represents the minerals filling in the spaces to form a fossil.

• They are both correct.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What is the next step in the fossilization process after an organism dies?

• It becomes a fossil.

• It turns into rock.

• The parts begin to decay and minerals fill in the spaces.

• The organism is buried in sediment. Over time, more and more sediment covers the organism.

A student wants to create a model to represent how a turtle fossil formed once it dies. They designed the following plan for the model.

Which of the following would be the BEST for the student to do to continue their model for step 3?

• Fill in the gaps with glue to represent minerals filling in the space.

• Reveal the fossil since it is time for scientists to discover the fossil.

• Squish the clay to show that overtime fossils will disappear

• Smooth the imprint over with your fingers to show that sediment will fill in the spaces.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

ALL organisms die and become fossils.

• True

• False

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What is the first step for an organism to become a fossil and WHY?

• The animal is buried by sediment because if it is buried by sediment, it will then die and become a fossil.

• The first step is that an animal dies because once a living thing dies, it has the possibility of becoming a fossil.

• The first step is that an animal dies because once any living thing dies, it will always start the fossilization process

• The first step is that bone is slowly replaced with minerals because if they are replaced by minerals, then once it dies, it starts to fossilize.