Fossil Formation Quiz

Not every animal or plant becomes a fossil when it dies. Which event best helps a fossil form?

• Water washes away dirt.

• Animals eat the soft tissues.

• Wind blows the dead organism away.

• Sediment quickly buries the dead organism.

When the last of its kind dies, a species is ________.

• extinct
• endangered

• fossilized

• forgotten

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The remains or traces of a plant or animal that lived long ago is a(n) ________.

• carbon film

• cast

• mold

• fossil

Josh read about a land animal whose fossils were found in similar rock layers in Africa and South America. What can he conclude from this discovery?

• Animal fossils all look alike.

• The landmasses were once joined.

• The animals swam across the ocean.

• The fossils formed in an ocean and washed ashore.

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An event that results in the dying off of many species is called a(n) ________.

• carbon film

• fossil

• mass extinction

• geologic timescale

An impression of an organism, formed when sediment hardens around the organism, is called a(n) ________.

• mold

• cast

• amber

• carbon film

A model of an organism, formed when sediment fills a mold and hardens, is a(n) ________.

• cast

• carbon film

• fossil

• trace fossil

A fossil of a type of organism that lived in many places during a relatively short time span is called a(n) ________.

• rock layer

• trace fossil

• index fossil

• carbon film

Nkombo found a piece of amber. Which object shown below would the amber most likely contain?

• Insect

• Fish

• Dragonfly

• Shell

Suppose you found fossils of sharks and other fish in a nearby forest. What could you infer about the area from these discoveries?

• The area was once a desert.

• The area was once an ocean.

• The area was once a forest.

• The area was once an ice field.

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CCSS.RL.5.1

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