Earth's History Take Home Quiz

What are fossils?

• Rocks that can be used as fuel

• Preserved remains or traces of living things

• Ancient artifacts created by humans

• Minerals that are valuable and rare

How are fossils formed?

• When living things are exposed to sunlight for a long time

• When living things die and are buried by sediments

• When living things are frozen in ice

• When living things are preserved in amber

What is a paleontologist?

• A scientist who studies ancient cultures

• A scientist who studies rocks and minerals

• A scientist who studies, collects, and classifies fossils

• A scientist who studies the weather and climate

What is a mold in the context of sedimentary structures?

• A) A type of fungus that grows on organic matter

• B) A hollow area in the sediment which shows the shape of an organism or a part of an organism

• C) A solid replica of the shape of an organism

• D) A structure formed by the deposition of minerals within a rock

What is a cast in the context of paleontology?

• A type of fossil that forms when an organism decomposes and leaves an empty space in the sediment that gets filled with minerals

• A protective shell that is used to heal broken bones in animals

• A tool used by paleontologists to dig up fossils

• A modern sculpture of a prehistoric animal

What are petrified fossils?

• Fossils that are formed from impressions of organisms in rock

• Fossils in which minerals replace all or part of an organism

• Fossils that are preserved in amber

• Fossils that are found only in sedimentary rocks

What is carbon film?

• A type of fossil

• A kind of rock

• A plant species

• A chemical reaction

How is carbon film described in the image?

• A thick layer on wood

• An extremely thin coating on rock

• A dense material on metal

• A transparent sheet on paper

What do trace fossils provide evidence of?

• The diet of ancient organisms

• The existence of ancient water bodies

• The activities of ancient organisms

• The reproductive methods of ancient organisms

Which processes preserve the remains of organisms with little or no change?

• Fossilization in sedimentary rock

• Decomposition by bacteria and fungi

• Encasement in tar, ice, or amber

• Exposure to air and weathering