Chapter 8

What is a fossil? Use the description of the diagram of fossil examples that shows impressions, bones, and preserved organisms in rock layers.

• A recently living organism found on the surface

• The preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms

• Any rock that contains minerals

• A living organism trapped in tree sap

What is palaeontology? Refer to the diagram of a palaeontologist working that illustrates scientists studying fossils to understand life history.

• The study of rocks without fossils

• The study of fossils and ancient life forms

• The process of making fossils in laboratories

• The naming of living species only

What is the fossil record? Consider the diagram of a fossil record timeline showing progression from simple to complex organisms.

• A list of living species in a habitat

• The collection of all known fossils showing changes in organisms over time

• Only fossils from the most recent ice age

• A catalog of rock types without biological information

Which conditions are needed for fossilisation? Use the diagram of the fossilisation process that depicts animal remains buried in sediment forming fossils over time.

• Rapid burial

• Protection from decay and oxygen

• Exposure to sunlight and air

• Immediate scavenging by predators

What is a mineralised fossil? Refer to the diagram of a mineralised bone fossil showing bone becoming stone-like as minerals replace organic matter.

• A fossil formed only from soft tissues

• A fossil where organic material is replaced by minerals

• Any imprint left by an organism’s activity

• A fossil made from modern plastic replicas

What is a trace fossil? Consider the diagram with fossilised dinosaur footprints and worm burrows.

• Evidence of an organism’s activity, such as footprints or burrows

• Only preserved bones of an organism

• Mineral crystals found in rocks

• Living organisms trapped in amber

What is an index fossil? Use the diagram showing different index fossils representing specific time layers.

• A fossil used to define and identify geological time periods

• A fossil that is always the oldest in any rock layer

• Any fossil found near volcanic rock

• A fossil formed only in marine environments

What are transitional fossils? Refer to the diagram comparing Archaeopteryx linking reptiles and birds.

• Fossils showing traits between ancestral and descendant species

• Fossils found only in deserts

• Fossils that are too damaged to classify

• Fossils that formed during volcanic eruptions only

What is relative dating? Consider the rock strata diagram that depicts older fossils at lower layers and younger at higher layers.

• Determining the age of fossils based on their position in rock layers

• Measuring the exact number of years since an organism died

• Identifying fossils by their mineral content only

• Comparing DNA sequences of living relatives

What is absolute dating? Use the radiometric dating process diagram showing half-life decay used to measure fossil age.

• Estimating age by the depth of burial only

• Determining the actual age of a fossil using radioactive decay

• Guessing age from fossil size

• Dating rocks by color differences