Fossil Quiz

How do MOST fossils form? 

• living things die and their remains are quickly buried by sediments 
• the hard parts of an organism dry out in the air 
• the soft parts of an organism change to stone 
• freezing preserves the remains of an organism 

What is a Fossil?

• Any dead organism
• The preserved remains or traces of an organism
• A perfect copy of a rock
• None of the above

What is the first step in the making of a fossil?

• soft parts rot away
• the animal is buried by mud
• The animal dies

Fossilized seashells that were found in the desert MOST LIKELY tell us that 

• Sea animals live in the desert
• The desert was once underwater
• All deserts were once underwater
• All of the above are true

Most fossils form when the hard parts of an organism are buried quickly and over time become part of 

• Igneous Rock
• Metamorphic Rock
• Sedimentary Rock
• None of the above

The above picture shows a fossil of a palm leaf, a tropical plant. This fossil was found in the state of Alaska. How could this be explained?

• Alaska’s climate was once colder than it is now
• Alaska’s climate has always been the same
• Alaska’s climate was once warmer than it is now
• Alaska’s climate is warming up

Why do bones and teeth remain as part of some fossils?

• they are white
• bones are large
• the parts are hard 
• bones decay easily

The remains of all plants and animals turn into fossils.

• True
• False

Fossils give us and idea of what an organism looked like. Look at the image. What type of organism was it?

• Dinosaur
• Fish
• Bird

The science that studies fossils.

• embryology

• paleontology

• geology

• taxonomy