Fossils Quiz

What is provided by fossils?

• A) A method to date the earth

• B) Evidence of life's history on earth

• C) Information on mineral composition

• D) A way to predict future evolution

What are fossils?

• A) Rocks found on the surface of the earth

• B) The remains of organisms preserved in the earth

• C) Ancient artifacts left by humans

• D) Models of prehistoric life

What can fossils consist of?

• Rocks, minerals, and soil

• Bones, bone fragments, imprints, and preserved remains

• Plants, animals, and bacteria

• Water, air, and fire

Why are most fossils found in sedimentary rock?

• Because sedimentary rocks form at high temperatures and pressures.

• Because sedimentary rocks are more common than other rock types.

• Because sedimentary rocks form at low temperatures and pressures.

• Because fossils cannot form in any other rock type.

In which two materials mentioned can organisms become fossilized?

• Rock and soil

• Ice and amber

• Sand and clay

• Lava and ash

What do scientists do with fossil characteristics to learn about the life of the organism?

• They ignore them as they are not useful.

• They make inferences concerning the life of the organism based on these observations.

• They only catalog them for future reference.

• They use them to make predictions about future organisms.

How do scientists determine the age of fossils to study the history of life on Earth?

• By using relative dating and absolute dating

• By measuring the depth of the fossils in the soil

• By comparing the size of the fossils to modern animals

• By the color of the fossils

What can be inferred about the fossils found in the layer marked with 520 mya?

• They are the oldest fossils

• They are younger than the fossils in the layer marked with 545 mya

• They are the same age as the fossils in the layer marked with 495 mya

• They are from the time when dinosaurs first appeared

Where are older fossils typically found in the layers of the earth's sedimentary rock?

• In the upper layers

• In the middle layers

• In the deeper layers

• Outside of the sedimentary rock layers

Where are younger fossils typically found in the layers of the earth's sedimentary rock?

• In the deeper layers

• Outside of the sedimentary rock layers

• In the upper layers

• Randomly throughout all layers