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WorksheetsFossils and Absolute Age Dating
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 22mins
While exploring a hiking trail, Avery and Charlotte found some imprints of dinosaur footprints on a rock. These are examples of fossils that are not the actual organism but evidence of that organism's existence.
index fossils
trace fossils
petrified fossils
original preservation
During a science class, Grace and Mia were discussing how different conditions can preserve remains. Which of the following is a condition that will preserve remains?
amber
frozen in permafrost
tar
all of these are correct
During a school field trip to a natural history museum, Olivia and Maya learned about ancient creatures. The guide showed them some fossilized feces and asked, "What are these called?"
coprolites
index fossils
gastroliths
amber
During a school trip to a natural history museum, Emma learned about smooth stones that dinosaurs swallowed to help digestion. What are these stones called?
coprolites
index fossils
gastroliths
amber
During a science class, Oliver found a piece of hardened tree sap in the school garden. What is this substance called?
coprolites
index fossils
gastroliths
amber
During a school field trip to a natural history museum, Rohan and Sophia learned about fossils that haven't changed over time, with all tissues still intact. What type of fossils are these?
index fossils
trace fossils
petrified fossils
preserved remains
During a school field trip to a natural history museum, Arjun and Abigail were fascinated by the different types of fossils on display. The guide explained that some fossils are not the remains of the organism itself but rather evidence of its activities. Which of the following is an example of such a trace fossil?
petrified wood
index fossils
gastroliths
amber
During a school field trip to a natural history museum, Grace and Mason learned about different types of fossils. Which of the following is an example of a trace fossil?
coprolites
index fossils
petrified wood
amber
While exploring a remote area, Liam and Kai discovered some ancient remains. They noticed that these remains were modified bone, wood, or shell in which all the organic material was replaced with minerals in sediment. What type of fossils did they find?
preserved remains
petrified fossils
index fossils
trace fossils
While exploring a rocky area, Charlotte found a hollowed out impression in a rock that was the same shape as a leaf. What is this type of fossil called?
cast
mold
trace fossil
index fossil
During a field trip, Arjun discovered a fossil that formed when a hollowed-out impression in a rock, a mold, filled with sediment and then hardened. What type of fossil did Arjun find?
cast
mold
trace fossil
index fossil
Mia and William are studying fossils in their science class. They come across various items and need to identify which one is not a trace fossil. Which of the following is not a trace fossil?
dinosaur skull
footprint
tool
gastrolith
During a school field trip to a natural history museum, Mia and David learned that a fossil is...
a radioactive element used to determine the age of a rock layer
the remains or evidence of a once-living organism
only the hard parts of a organism
only found in ice
During a history class, Avery found a stone tool used by a Neanderthal man. This tool is an example of...
an altered hard part
original preservation
index fossil
trace fossil
During a geology class, Avery and Daniel were discussing fossils. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an index fossil?
has a wide geographic range
is hard to find
is easily recognized
existed for a short geologic time
A woolly mammoth found frozen in the permafrost of Siberia is an example of...
a mold
an altered hard part
a cast
preserved remains
During a class field trip to a natural history museum, Jackson and Maya learned about fossils. Which of the following statements about fossils is NOT true?
They can be used to correlate rock layers.
They can always be found as living specimens today.
They can be used to determine relative age.
They can indicate what climates were like in the past.
Avery found a small insect perfectly preserved and wondered where prehistoric insects or other small animals are preserved WHOLE. Where should Avery look?
in sedimentary rock
in amber
in obsidian
in oceans
During a school trip to a natural history museum, Aiden noticed that a fossilized dinosaur bone was much heavier than a modern animal bone. Why is a fossil dinosaur bone much heavier than the original bone it was made from?
it has absorbed water
it is much older
much of it has dissolved
it is now made of minerals
Maya and Anika were on a nature walk when they found some old bones. Maya wondered why not all animals become fossils. What could be the reason?
because some living things are too small
because some living things are too big
because some are subject to catastrophism and others are not
because environmental conditions have to be just right to prevent decay
During a school field trip, Evelyn and her classmates visited a natural history museum. They learned about how fossils form. Which of the following processes is involved in fossil formation?
Living things die and their remains are covered by sediment
insects are covered in tree sap
all of these are correct
Freezing preserves the remains of an organism
Luna and Ava are studying fossils in their science class. What kinds of things can they learn from fossils? Check all that apply.
what organisms were alive in the past
changes in climate
how organisms have changed (evolved)
how much soda cost in 1942
when an organism went extinct
Abigail and Mason are studying geology and want to determine if rock layers in different locations are from the same time period. Which term describes the method they would use by examining fossils?
absolute age dating
correlation
relative age dating
trace fossils
Which is an example of absolute age?
"This trilobite is older than that dinosaur."
"That stromatolite is the absolute oldest fossil I've ever seen."
"Velociraptors lived 71-75 million years ago."
"The oldest sedimentary layer is on the bottom."
A whale bone that originally contained 200 grams of radioactive carbon-14 now contains 25 grams of carbon-14. How many half-lives have passed since this whale was alive?
1
2
3
4
If carbon-14 is heated, the length of its half-life period would
increase
decrease
remain the same
Carbon-14 can only be used to determine the age of
recently living things (thousands of years old).
recent rocks (thousands of years old).
very old fossils (millions of years old).
very old rocks (millions of years old).
What happens to a carbon-14 atom that has gone through radioactive decay?
It disappears.
It turns into nitrogen-14
It becomes soil.
It flips over so the radioactive side is face-down.
Which radioactive substance would probably be used in dating the recent remains of a plant found in sedimentary deposits?
carbon-14
rubidium-87
potassium-40
uranium-238
Why is radioactive decay useful for determining absolute age?
Radioactive substances decay at a predictable rate.
All Earth materials contain the same radioactive substances.
The mass of radioactive isotopes in a material is equal to the age of the material.
The half-life of a radioactive substance decreases by half after a certain amount of time.
What is absolute age?
The comparison if one rock to another to see which is older or younger
The age of a human
The exact age of a rock or fossil, in years
The earth’s age
The older the rock the less parent element is found in the rock.
True
False
What are the oldest fossils and why?
B, C- because they are closest to the top
A, B- because they are closest to the bottom
They are all the same age- because they are all found on layer 2
A, B- because they are found closest to the top
Which fossil is the youngest?
fossil A
fossil B
fossil C
fossils A and B are the same age
Which layer contains the youngest fossil?
layer 1
layer 2
layer 3
layer 4
Which fossil is the youngest
1
2
3
4
