Fossils Quiz

What are fossils?

• preserved remains of living things
• ancient organisms
• layers of rock
• minerals that fill spaces

Which animal below is extinct?

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Scientists use fossils to describe how environments have changed over time. Which fossil discovery represents a CHANGE in the environment where the fossil was found?

• fish in rocks on top of a mountain
• seashells in the sand at the beach
• horse bones in soil in a field
• polar bear bones in Alaska

Which part of an organism is the most likely to be fossilized?

• the feet
• the hard parts
• the head
• the soft parts

Lee was walking along the bank of river when he spotted a dark piece of wood. When he picked up the piece of wood and tried to break it, the piece of wood was like stone. Which of the following words describes why the piece of wood was like stone?

• extinction
• sedimentation
• petrification
• environmental

The preserved remains of plants or animals that lived long ago.

• fossils
• extinct
• paleontologist
• sediment

Something no longer found alive.

• environment
• extinct
• sediment
• paleontologist

If a fossil appears in many rock layers, what can we conclude about that organism?

• The fossil is useful for science.
• The organism lived in many places in the world.
• The organism lived for a SHORT period of time.
• The organism lived for a LONG period of time.

Shane is digging in his backyard. He finds each of the items below.

• coin
• earthworm
• shark tooth
• none of the above

A scientist who studies fossils and organisms that live long ago.

• sediment
• fossils
• paleontologist
• petrification