Fossil

What is a fossil?

• A rock

• A living thing

• The remains of an animal or plant that lived a long time ago

What have scientists learned from studying fossils?

• That all animals and plants that lived a long time ago were the same as the animals and plants we see today

• That different animals and plants that lived a long time ago were different from the animals and plants we see today

• That animals and plants that lived a long time ago were bigger than the animals and plants we see today

What is the scientific theory of evolution?

• The theory that living things have always been the same

• The theory that living things have changed and evolved over time

• The theory that living things came from rocks

The diagrams below represent rock layers found in two different locations by two different scientists. The scientist at location X used letters to label his rock layers, while the scientist at location Y used Roman numerals to label her layers. Examine these diagrams and then answer the question that follows. The scientists both used the same colors and patterns to represent different types of rocks. They also used the same set of black-and-white symbols to represent specific types of fossils in the layers. By correlating layers based on fossils and rock types, the two scientists have discovered that certain rock layers are present in both locations. Which layers are the same?

• Layers T and U are the same as layers VI and VII.

• Layers P, Q, R, and S are the same as layers IV, V, VI, and VII.

• Layers T and U are the same as layers I and II.

• Layers P, Q, R, and S are the same as layers I, II, III, and IV.

If a scientist knows the relative age of a fossil, he can also know

• the type of climate from which it came.

• how long the organism was alive.

• the relative age of the rock where it was found.

• how it became extinct.

What is the primary purpose of studying fossils in the context of evolution?

• To determine the age of the Earth

• To understand the history of life on Earth

• To find new species of plants

• To predict future evolutionary changes

How do fossils provide evidence for the theory of evolution?

• They indicate that all species appeared simultaneously.

• They prove that species can only evolve in aquatic environments.

• They show that species have remained unchanged over time.

• They demonstrate that species have evolved and adapted over time.

What can the presence of similar fossils in different continents suggest?

• That the species were identical in all regions

• That the species were able to fly across oceans

• That the continents have always been in their current positions

• That the continents were once connected