The Fossil Record Quiz

1. The body of an animal is more likely to be fossilized if

• it is left on the surface of the ground
• does not contain bones or hard parts
• it is covered with sediment soon after death
• none of the above

2. Fossils are usually found in

• metamorphic rock
• igneous rock
• sedimentary rock
• oceans

3. A trace fossil tells us

• what an animal looked like
• what a plant looked like
• how an organism died
• how an organism lived

4. Studying the strata of rock can tell us

• whether climate has changed in an area
• if a species changed over time
• if a species became extinct
• if a biome changed over time
• all of the above

5. The image below represents three different rock layers that contain trilobite fossils at different locations around Earth. Which statement best represents the similarities found within the records of the three locations?

• Ceratopigidae had a wide geographical distribution compared to other trilobites.
• Auritimidae were the first known type of trilobites in all three locations.
• Ceratopigidae were the first type of trilobites found in all three locations.
• Remopleiridae existed before auritimidae trilobites.

6. Evidence that some species have changed over time can be found in

• the fossil record
• a single individual fossil
• rocks
• living fossils

7. In the geologic column, the oldest layers are

• at the top
• at the bottom

8. Two fossil organisms found close together in the same layer or strata of rock may tell us that

• the two organisms lived in different habitats
• the two organisms lived during the same time period
• one organism changed into the other
• one organism ate the other organism

9. If you are standing in a mountain area, but scientists have found ocean organism fossils in the layers beneath you, what can you infer?

• A large earthquake has shifted the land.
• This mountain once was a desert.
• This land at one point was under the ocean.
• This is a volcanic area.

10. What is a cast fossil?

• an ichno fossil
• the impression of an organism that has turned to stone
• an insect in amber
• when a mold fossil is filled with sediments and minerals and is fossilized in a 3-D form