STMS 2ndQ Practice Test

Based upon the positions of Fossils A and B, which inference is best?

• Fossil A must have evolved from Fossil B

• Fossil B existed in greater numbers than Fossil A.

• Fossils A and B lived during different periods of geologic time.

• Fossils A and B lived during the same periods of geologic time.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2

Fossils of more than 500 trilobite species have been found in western Utah. Trilobites were marine organisms that lived millions of years ago. Most trilobites lived on the ocean floor, but some were also capable of swimming.

Which inference is best based upon the given information?

• A shallow inland sea once covered the western part of Utah.

• Wind currents carried trilobite eggs to the western part of Utah.

• Some trilobites migrated over land to the western part of Utah.

• An ancient people moved the trilobite fossils from the coast to western Utah.

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Some scientists have concluded that modern-day birds evolved from reptiles based on fossil evidence. What evidence best supports this conclusion?

• Fossils of both bird and reptile eggs look similar.

• Fossils of dinosaurs contain similar skeletal structures to both reptiles and birds.

• Fossil data suggests that birds and reptiles lived in the same era.

• Fossils show that birds and reptiles have similar behavioral adaptations.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-2

What information does the fossil provide about the region where it was found?

• The region was dominated by flowering plants.

• The region was once cold like the tundra.

• The region was dominated by single-celled organisms.

• The region was once an aquatic habitat.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Around 250 million years ago at the end of the Permian Period, 90 percent of the planet’s species became extinct. One of the major causes of the mass extinction is believed to be massive volcanic eruptions. These giant eruptions added large amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

How would these additional gases contribute to the mass extinctions?

• increase in the temperature of the atmosphere

• change in the composition of the sea shelves

• decrease in the amount of rainfall

• depletion of the ozone layer

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NGSS.MS-ESS2-2

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which statement correctly predicts the relative age of another fossil?

• Fossil type A might have lived on Earth 150 million years ago.

• Fossil type B might have lived on Earth 180 million years ago.

• Fossil type C might have lived on Earth 225 million years ago.

• Fossil type E might have lived on Earth 500 million years ago.

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

What could be true about the fossils?

• Fossil 1 is younger than fossil 2.

• Fossil 1 is older than fossil 4.

• Fossil 3 is older than fossil 2.

• Fossil 3 is younger than fossil 4.

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

A student identifies Fossil D as the oldest among the four and as an ancestor to a current-day mollusk. Which statement explains how the student reached this conclusion?

• Fossil D is found in the oldest rock layer and cannot resemble a presently living organism.

• Fossil D has the most complicated structure among all the other organisms and resembles a presently living organism.

• Fossil D is found in the oldest rock layer and has a shell that resembles a presently living organism.

• Fossil D is found in the youngest rock layer and resembles a presently living organism.

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NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

The fossils of a few plant species approximately 15 million years old have been discovered in the Rhine region of Germany. The existing relatives of these fossils are absent in Europe but are found in the warm, humid swamps of Mississippi. Presently, Germany has a temperate climate.

Based on the information, which statement best describes the climatic conditions in Germany 15 million years ago?

• Germany had a much colder, drier climate.

• Germany had a much hotter, drier climate.

• Germany had a much colder, wetter climate.

• Germany had a much hotter, wetter climate.

Based on the chart, what can be said about the MESOZOIC era?

• It marked the evolution of dinosaurs.

• It marked the evolution of trilobites.

• It marked the extinction of humans.

• It marked the extinction of shell-enclosed organisms.

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NGSS.MS-LS4-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-2