Fossils and Past Environments Quiz

Which of the following statements best summarizes the role of geologist and fossils?

• fossils are studied to learn more about dinosaurs

• fossils are used to help geologists make inferences about the past

• fossils are used to make fossil fuels by geologists.

• geologists use fossils to determine types of rocks

The fossil shown below is of an ammonite. These fossils are found in places such as Texas and Antarctica. What can ammonite fossils tell scientists about the past environments of Texas and Antarctica?

• Texas was a land environment and Antarctica was a water environment in the past.

• Both Texas and Antarctica were water environments in the past.

• Texas was a water environment and Antarctica was a land environment in the past.

• Both Texas and Antarctica were land environments in the past.

Both fossils shown below can be found in Nevada. The brachiopod fossil dates back nearly 550 million years. The mammoth spine fossil dates back about 20,000 years. What do these fossils tell you about the past environment(s) of Nevada?

• Nevada has always been a land environment because both fossils are of land organisms.

• Nevada has always been a water environment because both fossils are of water organisms.

• Nevada was a water environment before it was a land environment because the water organism is older than the land organism.

• Nevada was a land environment before it was a water environment because the land organism is older than the water organism.

Scientists found the dinosaur footprint fossil shown below. What can this fossil tell the scientists about Earth’s early environment in which the dinosaur lived?

• It was a desert environment that had very little water.

• It was a forest environment with thick underbrush.

• It was an ocean environment with high pressure.

• It was a land environment that was muddy.

Look at the fossil below. In which type of environment might this organism have lived? Drag the tiles to the correct blanks to complete the sentence.

The organism most likely lived in (a)   because amber comes from ​ (b)   .

• a forest
• trees
• an ocean
• a desert
• water
• sand

Scientists have discovered pterosaur fossils, such as the one shown below. Which word describes the type of environment where these animals once lived?

• water

• warm

• cold

• land

A fossilized shark tooth like the one shown below was found in the coastal plains of North Carolina. What does the shark tooth tell us about the past environment in this area?

• The area was once covered by an ocean.

• The area had valleys and mountains.

• The area was once covered by a forest.

• The area had water flowing underground.

Look at the two fossils. Fill in the blank to compare them.

The fossils lived in ​ (a)   environments because fossil 1 has ​ (b)   and probably lived in the ​ (c)   while fossil 2 has ​ (d)   and probably lived on ​ (e)   .

• different
• fins
• ocean
• legs
• land

The image below shows where two fossils were found. What can you conclude from this information?

• Fossil A is older because it was discovered in a deeper layer.

• Fossil B was is older because it was discovered closer to the surface.

• Fossil A and B ate the same food because they were discovered so close together.

• Fossil A and B are the same animal because they were found in the same area.

Look at the image of the trilobite fossils. Based on their characteristics, which of today's animals may they have been related to?

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