Biological Change Unit Lesson One Quiz

While examining a layer of rock, a scientist found a fossil of a trilobite like the one shown below. The scientist knows that trilobites only lived during the Paleozoic era. The scientist finds fossilized remains of other species in the same rock layer as the trilobite. What can the scientist conclude about these other fossils?

• The organisms that formed them likely went extinct before the Paleozoic era.

• The organisms that formed them likely also lived during the Paleozoic era.

• The organisms that formed them must have evolved from trilobites.

• The organisms that formed them are still living in modern times.

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The graph shows the changes in the number of animal faunas living on Earth over time and how the faunas were affected by different extinction events. Which statement is correct about the changes in faunas during one of these five major events?

• The event at the end of the Devonian (Dev.) resulted in an increase in the number of Cambrian faunas.

• The event at the end of the Cretaceous resulted in an increase in the number of Paleozoic faunas.

• The event at the end of the Triassic (Tri.) resulted in the extinction of fewer faunas than in any other period.

• The event at the end of the Cretaceous resulted in the extinction of more faunas than in any other period.

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Rock layers are formed over the course of many years. The image below shows the types of fossils that have been found in different layers of rock. Based on this information, what does the fossil record show?

• The oldest rock layers contain fossils of more complex organisms than newer rock layers.

• Older rock layers contain fossils of every organism that ever lived on Earth.

• Newer rock layers contain fossils of every organism that ever lived on Earth.

• Newer rock layers contain fossils of more complex organisms than the oldest rock layers.

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The picture below shows the fossilized bones of a Triceratops. The Triceratops is a dinosaur that lived approximately 65-70 million years ago. There are no species of organisms alive today that are directly related to Triceratops. What does this information indicate?

• Triceratops have evolved into a species that is so different, scientists are unable to discover the connection.

• Triceratops are extinct, and no organisms alive today evolved from Triceratops.

• All organisms that lived in the past can be linked to newly evolved organisms in the present.

• Fossil evidence is inconsistent with the theory of evolution.

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The image below shows a fossil made by a leaf. If this fossil is 65 million years old, what could this fossil suggest about organisms alive today?

• It could be a very close relative of dinosaurs, which lived 65 million years ago.

• If it is similar to any two modern species, it could be a common ancestor of these species.

• A modern plant could be the ancestor of this ancient plant.

• If it is different from all modern species, it could mean that this plant never existed.

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Scientists found four fossils in an undisturbed rock formation. They found an amphibian fossil from the Paleozoic Era, the fossil of a mammal from the Cenozoic Era, fossilized bacteria from the Precambrian Era, and the fossil of a reptile from the Mesozoic Era. Which of the following describes the relative order in which the fossils were found in the rock formation from closest to the surface to the deepest fossil?

• amphibian, mammal, bacteria, reptile

• mammal, reptile, amphibian, bacteria

• bacteria, amphibian, reptile, mammal

• reptile, mammal, bacteria, amphibian

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Fossils of a primitive whale called Basilosaurus have been found in many parts of the southeastern U.S., including the Gulf states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. This creature lived in the sea during the Eocene epoch, which lasted from about 55 million to 34 million years ago.What do these fossils suggest about the areas of land in which they are found?

• Humans lived in the areas before Basilosaurus.

• The areas were once covered by the sea.

• Humans and Basilosaurus lived in the areas together.

• The areas were deserts in the past.

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The diagram below represents a cross section of four sedimentary rock layers containing fossil remains. The layers have not been overturned. Which type of fossil is found in the most recently formed sedimentary rock layer?

• early horses

• dinosaurs

• armored fish

• trilobites

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In many parts of the world, there is a rock layer rich in the metal iridium. Iridium is very rare on Earth, but it is relatively common in meteorites and other debris that comes from outer space. All occurrences of this iridium layer have an age of about 65 million years. Most of the fossils in rock layers below the iridium layer, including dinosaur fossils, do not appear in layers above the iridium layer.Based on this evidence from the rock and fossil record,

• an asteroid impact likely caused a mass extinction 65 million years ago.

• meteorites and other space debris no longer contain the metal iridium.

• an asteroid impact caused dinosaurs to become more common 65 million years ago.

• meteorites and other space debris did not impact the Earth 65 million years ago.

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A scientist discovers a fossil in a layer of rock. Which of the following techniques would best allow the scientist to determine the absolute age of the fossil?

• studying the evolutionary history of the species that formed the fossil

• using radiometric dating on rock layers near where the fossil was found

• using an index fossil found in the same layer of rock

• determining how many rock layers are above the one in which the fossil was found