Rocks and Fossils Exam

Which type of fossil is most useful for determining the relative age of rock layers?

• Index fossil

• Trace fossil

• Petrified wood

• Amber fossil

What is the process called when sedimentary rocks form in layers over time?

• Erosion

• Deposition

• Melting

• Weathering

Which of the following is NOT a process in the rock cycle?

• Melting

• Evaporation

• Erosion

• Compaction

What do fossils primarily tell us about?

• The weather in the past

• The types of organisms that lived long ago

• The movement of tectonic plates

• The amount of rainfall

Which event can cause a mass extinction?

• Volcanic eruption

• Plant growth

• River formation

• Soil erosion

If a rock layer contains a trilobite fossil, what can you infer about the age of the rock?

• It is from the Precambrian era

• It is from the Paleozoic era

• It is from the Mesozoic era

• It is from the Cenozoic era

Which rock type is most likely to contain fossils?

• Igneous

• Sedimentary

• Metamorphic

• Volcanic

Which of the following best describes a mass extinction?

• A gradual increase in species

• A rapid decrease in the number of species

• The formation of new rocks

• The movement of continents

Which of the following is evidence that life on Earth has changed over time?

• Fossil record

• Ocean tides

• Wind patterns

• Cloud formation

What is the main cause of the formation of sedimentary rocks?

• Cooling of magma

• Compaction and cementation of sediments

• Melting of rocks

• Evaporation of water