Boy, were we wrong about dinosaurs

After the ancient Chinese found giant fossil bones, they decided that ----.

• A. the bones came from dragons

• B. their gods had bones

• C. they needed to build a huge wall to protect the nation

• D. their ancestors had been giants

At first, scientists mistakenly thought Iguanodon had a _______.

• A. tail no bigger than a dog's

• B. bright, colorful crest on top of its head

• C. pair of very small wings

• D. strange spike-shaped bone on its nose

Scientists now know that dinosaur legs were _____.

• A. jointed only near the foot, giving dinosaurs a unique walking style

• B. lacking the bony armor that covered the rest of their bodies

• C. straight under the dinosaur, which indicates they were not clumsy

• D. equipped with organs that sensed sound and sent signals to the brain

What did scientists see inside dinosaurs' bones?

• A. tough, elastic fibers that further strengthened the bones

• B. deep cracks caused by supporting great weight

• C. small cavities for air flow

• D. lots of blood vessels with new bone growth around them

Instead of scales, some fossil dinosaur skins have been found that show ______.

• A. marks that seem to be from feathers

• B. rows of hard beads, such as those found on Gila monsters

• C. smooth skin, similar to that of a salamander or newt

• D. coarse hair or spines

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Recent X-rays of dinosaur skulls show that dinosaurs had ______.

• A. human diseases, including cancer and rabies

• B. enough brain space for color vision

• C. two-sided brains like those of humans

• D. mazelike nasal passages, which indicates a poor sense of smell

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

What have been found in fossil dinosaur nests?

• A. bodies of small left by mothers as food for the young

• B. babies from two or three different types of dinosaurs in the same nest

• C. fossils of insects that consumed shed skin cells and droppings

• D. youngsters with scratches on their teeth from eating rough plants

What fossil evidence shows some dinosaurs took good care of their babies?

• A. mothers and fathers who died while protecting their young

• B. "nurseries" where babies were cared for as a group

• C. footprints of babies waling safely in the middle of their herds

• D. large growth rings on the bones of babies too young to leave the nest

What supports the idea that a comet or asteroid strike killed the dinosaurs?

• A. a huge shift in Earth's axis before the dinosaurs' disappearance

• B. Africa's "diamond belt," where diamonds formed under extreme pressure

• C. a fossil layer of dust is probably from outer space

• D. a global temperature increase, indicated in polar ice sample

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Both the ancient Chinese and today's scientists would agree that ______.

• A. some dinosaurs are still alive

• B. all dinosaurs were cold-blooded

• C. some dinosaurs lived deep in the oceans

• D. dinosaurs changed Earth forver