Earth's Features - Amplify Benchmark

The diagram below shows fossils during different periods in time (labeled A–E).

Using the image above, what can you infer about the environment where these fossils were found?

• The environment was cold and dry for all living things that once lived in this location.

• There were times when the environment was too extreme for any living things to live in this

  location.

• The environment was hot and dry for all living things that once lived in this location.

• The environment was perfect for all living things to live during one period in time.

Geologists have been studying a site to learn more about the fossils there.

Study the image above that the geologist made. Which of the following claims can be supported by the evidence from the image?

• The site has always been a forest environment.

• The site was a forest before it was an ocean environment.

• The site was an ocean environment before it was a forest.

• The site has always been an ocean environment.

Engineers are designing a sea wall to protect a seaside town. The purpose of the sea wall is to prevent the ocean from causing erosion. The wall will be built into the ground and will stand up out of the sand.

The design must first go through a series of tests to make sure it will work. What is the best way for the design to be tested to show what needs to be improved?

• Build a small model of the sea wall. Submerge the model into fresh water, and see how long

  the water takes to erode the wall.

• Build a small model of the sea wall and the coast that it protects. Use a spray bottle or hose,

  and pour water directly over the model to see how well it stands up in a storm.

• Build a small model of the sea wall and the coast that it protects. Place the model into an

  earthquake simulation machine, and see at which strength the sea wall begins to crack.

• Build a small model of the sea wall and the coast that it protects. Place the model into a pool.

  Make waves to test at which height the sea wall no longer protects the coast from the waves.

Technology can be improved over time to meet the needs of society. Which is an example of an improvement that can cause people to be better protected from natural hazards?

• stream gauges that provide data on possible flooding

• alarms that go off when fires in fireplaces become too hot

• alarms that go off when fires in fireplaces become too hot

• weather vanes that tell which direction the wind is coming from

The paleontologist has found small pieces of dinosaur fossil in a rock layer. She and her crew set up camp to further investigate this rock layer. They want more evidence to determine the age of the dinosaur fossils in comparison to other fossils that have been found. The science team has a big breakthrough when they find large teeth and a skull of the same type of dinosaur in the same rock layer.

Finding the large skull convinces the team that dinosaurs lived during the time period represented by this rock layer. __________fossils are less likely to be moved over time by processes such as weathering and erosion. If this happens, scientists might think they are the wrong age if they are mixed in with fossils from ___________.

• - Smaller

  - different organisms

• - Larger

  - a different layer

• - Smaller

  - a different layer

• - Larger

  - Smaller

Study the diagram of the fossils shown below.

Assume there have been no changes to Earth’s layers in this location. Which statement most accurately describes the age of the fossils?

• The oldest fossils are found in Layer 3.

• The youngest fossils are found in Layer 1.

• The fossils in Layers 2 and 3 are the same age.

• The relative ages of the fossils cannot be compared from this picture.

A team of scientists has come across some interesting rock patterns in the earth at one specific location.

Study the diagram that shows the patterns the scientists found. What might explain the formation of these rock layers?

• An earthquake may have caused the ground to shift.

• A volcano added layers of lava causing the ground to move.

• Human activities like building roads and houses caused the ground to move.

• Wind caused weathering and erosion over time, shifting the ground.

Examine the following diagram about how sedimentary rock usually forms.

Choose the correct order of how sedimentary rock usually forms.

• 1. Sediment forms layers.

  2. Wind, ice, and rain break rock into smaller parts.

  3. Small parts of rock fall into water.

  4. Layers of sediment turn into rock.

• 1. Wind, ice, and rain break rock into smaller parts.

  2. Small parts of rock fall into water.

  3. Sediment forms layers.

  4. Layers of sediment turn into rock.

• 1. Small parts of rock fall into water.

  2. Layers of sediment turn into rock.

  3. Wind, ice, and rain break rock into smaller parts.

  4. Sediment forms layers.

• 1. Sediment forms layers.

  2. Small parts of rock fall into water.

  3. Layers of sediment turn into rock.

  4. Wind, ice, and rain break rock into smaller parts.

Paleontologists study the history of life on Earth. They look at patterns in rock layers to know where to look for fossils, or the remains of ancient life.

The paleontologist working on this project has sketched the layers of rock that she has investigated and shown all of the fossils that she has found.

Which of the following statements is true based on the paleontologist’s sketches?

• Plant fossils are the oldest fossils that she found.

• Ammonites went extinct before fish lived in this area.

• Fish are older than trilobites but younger than ammonites.

• Trilobites and ammonites are the oldest fossils that she found.

Jeremiah lives in a house that is very close to a flowing river. He notices that his town is getting a lot more rain this year than normal. The water in the river is moving much faster than normal and is higher up on the sides of the river. What actions could Jeremiah take to make sure this river water does not end up in his house?

• He could consider ideas to slow down the erosion from the increase in rainfall.

• He could consider ideas to increase the erosion from the increase in rainfall.

• He could consider ideas to maintain the erosion at the same levels.

• There is no way to reduce the risk of erosion from the potential flooding.