Topic Test - Fossil Evidence

A scientist working in Alaska finds a group of fossils that is shown in the picture. The fossil looks like a palm branch with several small fish. Choose two correct statements about the picture.

• Palm trees once grew in Alaska.

• Fish once lived in palm trees.

• Fish once ate palm trees to survive.

• Palm trees once grew near rivers and streams.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

Most fossils form from hard body parts such as bone, shells, or teeth. Which statement gives a reason why this is true?

• A. Soft body parts usually dissolve in water.

• B. Only hard body parts can be buried in mud.

• C. Organisms that form fossils have no soft body parts.

• D. Organisms that form fossils have no hard body parts.

Jamal’s classmates are making models of fossils. There are five steps. Number the steps so that the order for making a model is similar to how real fossils are formed.

• 1. Press an object into modeling clay. 2. Remove the object from the modeling clay. 3. Fill the hole from the object with glue. 4. Let the glue dry. 5. Peel back the glue shape from the clay.

• 1. Remove the object from the modeling clay. 2. Press an object into modeling clay. 3. Fill the hole from the object with glue. 4. Let the glue dry. 5. Peel back the glue shape from the clay.

• 1. Fill the hole from the object with glue. 2. Press an object into modeling clay. 3. Remove the object from the modeling clay. 4. Let the glue dry. 5. Peel back the glue shape from the clay.

• 1. Press an object into modeling clay. 2. Fill the hole from the object with glue. 3. Remove the object from the modeling clay. 4. Let the glue dry. 5. Peel back the glue shape from the clay.

To be an index fossil, a fossil must have certain features. Choose two statements that identify an index fossil.

• The fossil must be easy to identify.

• The fossil must have lived for a short, known time.

• The fossil cannot be found in the geologic time scale.

• The fossil must have been plentiful when it was formed.

Look at the picture. It shows rock layers in four areas in the north, west, east, and south parts of Michigan. You and your classmates have been shown the picture and asked to compare the ages of the layers. Choose the fossil that would be the best choice for the class to use as an index fossil.

• Fossil 1

• Fossil 2

• Fossil 3

• Fossil 4

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

You chose one of the four fossils as an index fossil. Why is the fossil you chose the best index fossil?

• Fossil 1 is an organism that has lived for a long time in many locations.

• Fossil 2 is common in most locations, and the organism lived for a short time.

• Fossil 3 is found in two connecting rock layers over a long period of time.

• Fossil 4 is not often found.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS1-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

The ocean off the coast of England was once ____________ it is now. Finding these fossils on the ocean bottom near the coast of England shows that the climate near England is now ____________ it was when the fossil organisms were alive.

• colder than; warmer than

• warmer than; colder than

• the same as; the same as

• warmer than; the same as

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS4-1

The picture shows three kinds of birds that live together on an isolated island. Each bird has a different-shaped beak that depends on the kind of food the bird eats. Thick beaks are best for cracking and eating nuts and seeds. Long thin beaks are best for digging insects out of cactus stems. Birds with medium-sized beaks are best for eating a varied diet of insects, spiders, and seeds. On the island, the climate slowly changed. There was very little rain. After a long time, many plants dried up and died, leaving only cactuses. Circle the bird that has the best chance of survival with this climate change.

• Thick beak

• Medium beak

• Long, thin beak

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

What is the main difference between a cast fossil and a mold fossil?

• A cast fossil is a 3D impression of the organism, while a mold fossil contains the actual remains.

• A mold fossil is a hollow impression of the organism, while a cast fossil is a 3D model created when the mold fills up.

• A cast fossil is made of amber, while a mold fossil is made of sediment.

• There is no difference; they are the same type of fossil.

Tags

DOK Level 2: Skill/Concept

This is an example of a

• cast fossil
• mold fossil
• trace fossil
• carbon film

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-3

NGSS.MS-LS4-1