NEW
Font size
S
M
L
XL
WorksheetsPaleontology
Total questions: 25
Worksheet time: 13mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Weathering and erosion can cause missing rock layers. What do we call these gaps?
a)
Strata
b)
Geologic Column
c)
Superposition
d)
Unconformities
2.
In what type of rock do we typically find fossils?
a)
Metamorphic
b)
Igneous
c)
Sedimentary
d)
Minerals
3.
Younger rock lies above older rock describes what law?
a)
Strata
b)
Geologic Column
c)
Unconformities
d)
Superposition
4.
Determining a rock's age by comparing it to other rock layers; "older" or "younger"
a)
Absolute dating
b)
Relative dating
c)
Unconformities
d)
Comparisions
5.
What type of fossils help determine age?
a)
Molds and casts
b)
Organic
c)
Trace fossils
d)
Index fossils
6.
True/False: Since most organisms never became fossils, the fossil record is incomplete.
a)
True
b)
False
7.
Finding a marine fossil on a mountaintop means that
a)
Fish used to be able to live on land.
b)
The mountain used to be an underwater volcano.
c)
The fossils have been moved.
d)
The mountaintop used to be the ocean floor.
8.
Which era do we currently live in?
a)
Paleozoic
b)
Cenozoic
c)
Proterozoic
d)
Mesozoic
9.
The idea that earth gradually changes over time is called
a)
Catastrophism
b)
Rock Cycle
c)
Uniformitarianism
d)
Evolution
10.
The ideal sequence of rock layers that contains all rock layers and fossils is called
a)
the geologic column
b)
unconformities
c)
superposition
d)
catastrophism
11.
The study of past life is called
a)
modern geology
b)
biology
c)
paleontology
d)
geology
12.
The idea that earth changes suddenly and unexpectedly
a)
uniformitarianism
b)
catastrophism
c)
fossils
d)
superposition
13.
How has life changed over time?
a)
It has become less complex.
b)
It has not changed.
c)
Fossils have changed.
d)
Life have gotten more complex.
14.
Tropical plant fossils being found in polar climates indicate that
a)
Fossils have moved.
b)
Tropical plants can grow in cold climates.
c)
Someone planted tropical plants in the polar climate.
d)
The continents have moved positions.
15.
What fossil indicates an environmental change?
a)
Insect in amber
b)
Frozen mammoth in ice
c)
Footprint in sandstone
d)
A fish fossil in a desert.
16.
What is the biggest division of geologic time?
a)
Epoch
b)
Period
c)
Era
d)
Eon
17.
How old do paleontologists think the Earth is?
a)
1 million years
b)
65,000 years
c)
10 billion years
d)
4.6 billion years
18.
Which era ended with 90% of species becoming extinct?
a)
Cenozoic
b)
Proterozoic
c)
Paleozoic
d)
Mesozoic
19.
What does absolute dating tell us about rocks and fossils?
a)
Relative dating
b)
Superposition
c)
Paleontology
d)
Exact age
20.
What can I tell from trace fossils?
a)
Size of animal
b)
Internal organs
c)
Skin color
d)
Eating habits
21.
The process when minerals replace an organism's tissues and turns into stone
a)
Casting
b)
Cementation
c)
Petrification
d)
Moltation
22.
What may have caused the extinction of dinosaurs?
a)
Humans killed them.
b)
They starved to death because their prey died.
c)
Other dinosaurs fought too often.
d)
Climate change
23.
What does extinction mean for a species?
a)
Half of the population has died.
b)
3/4 of the species has died.
c)
All of the species has died.
d)
We can't find any fossils for them.
24.
We know that earth changes slowly (uniformitarianism), but we also know it can change suddenly (catastrophism). What do we call this?
a)
Paleontology
b)
Modern geology
c)
Biology
d)
Uniformtrophism
25.
If we find fossils of the same species on different continents, what does that tell us?
a)
This organism lived on multiple continents.
b)
Fossils must have been moved by erosion.
c)
These are probably trace fossils.
d)
Continents used to be connected.
Reset
