Unit 3: Fossils

What type of fossil is pictured here?

• Mold fossil

• Trace fossil

• Cast fossil

• Body fossil

In which kind of rock do we usually find a fossil?

• sedimentary  rock
• rock candy
• hard rock

7. The picture shows a dinosaur fossil. From the fossil, which of the following observations is NOT an observation that a scientist could make about the dinosaur?

• 1. The size the dinosaur was.

• 1. What the dinosaur ate.

• The color the dinosaur was.

• 1. That the dinosaur moved on four feet.

If an animal gets trapped in mud, which part of the animal is most likely to turn into a fossil?

• Bone

• Organs

• Skin

• Hair

In order for a fossil to form, which of the following events must happen FIRST?

• Slowly, minerals in the water replace the bone.
• Sediment covers the bone.
• An animal dies.
• The bone is no longer a bone, but a rock copy.

A group of third graders share the task of creating a model to represent how fossils are formed. One of the students is in charge of representing the step that organisms are buried under sediment. They are using a clay dinosaur to show the steps. Which of the following would BEST demonstrate this step?

• Use glue to fill in empty spaces on the clay dinosaur.

• Use a book to push down dirt over the clay dinosaur.

• Use a pencil to pick at the dirt around the clay dinosaur.

• Use a piece of paper to squeeze the clay dinosaur from all directions.

A group of friends were hiking to the top of a mountain. When they got to the top of the mountain, they discovered several fossils of animals like the one pictured above. What clues does the fossil give you about how the animal moved and what type of habitat it lived in?

• This animal lived at the bottom of the mountain since it was discovered at the mountain, but the mountain rose in height over time.

• This animal lived at the top of a mountain since that is the location it was discovered.

• This animal lived in a water environment such as a lake or ocean since it has bones.

• This animal lived in a water environment since it has fins.

A student is observing two fossils found in a warm wooded region. One fossil is of an animal and one of a plant. Both of these fossils appear to have the same characteristic that they retain water. What can you infer about the environment in which these organisms lived?

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived in an ocean because they need water in order to survive.

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived in a desert since these organisms are able to live where there is limited water.

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived on the coast next to the ocean because they lived on land, but need access to the ocean.

• The fossils are of organisms that once lived in a wooded area because there are a lot of types of plants and animals found in this region.

Read the passage. Why might not all organisms become fossils?

• A. They were the wrong plants and animals.

• B. They create poor fossils because they have the wrong shapes.

• C. They have weak structures that break apart.

• D. They may break apart because they don’t want to become fossils.

This is an example of a

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