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WorksheetsFossils and Relative Dating
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 1hrs 5mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Fossilized seashells that were found in the desert MOST LIKELY tell us that
a)
Sea animals live in the desert
b)
The desert was once underwater
c)
All deserts were once underwater
d)
All of the above are true
2.
What is a Fossil?
a)
Any dead organism
b)
The preserved remains or traces of an organism
c)
A perfect copy of a rock
d)
None of the above
3.
How do MOST fossils form?
a)
living things die and their remains are quickly buried by
sediments
b)
the hard parts of an organism dry out in the air
c)
the soft parts of an organism change to stone
d)
freezing preserves the remains of an organism
4.
Footprints and trails are examples of
a)
Casts
b)
Trace Fossils
c)
Index Fossils
d)
Molds
5.
Most fossils form when the hard parts of an organism are buried quickly and over time become part of
a)
Igneous Rock
b)
Metamorphic Rock
c)
Sedimentary Rock
d)
None of the above
6.
Which of the following is an example of mineral replacement?
a)
La Brea Tar Pits
b)
A Frozen Mammoth
c)
Hardened Tree Sap
d)
Petrified Wood
7.
David wants to preserve the remains of a dead caterpillar. Under what conditions would he get the best results?
a)
wet and warm temperatures
b)
wet and cool temperatures
c)
dry and freezing temperatures
d)
dry and hot temperatures
8.
A fossil that forms when a hollowed out impression in a rock that is the same shape as a shell fills with sediment and then hardens.
a)
cast
b)
mold
c)
trace fossil
d)
index fossil
9.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an index fossil?
a)
has a wide geographic range
b)
is hard to find
c)
is easily recognized
d)
existed for a short geologic time
10.
What type of fossil fills a mold, and is a model of the actual organism?
a)
cast
b)
trace
c)
carbon imprint
11.
A scientist who studies fossils is called a ________________.
a)
paleontoligist
b)
geologist
c)
astronomer
d)
scientist
12.
_______________ is the idea that older rock layers can be found below younger rock layers in undisturbed geologic columns.
a)
principal of original horizontality
b)
principal of superposition
c)
principal of cross-cutting relationships
d)
principal of unconformities
13.
Index fossils are_________________?
a)
found in a broad geographic area
b)
remains of organisms that lived during a relatively short period of time
c)
easily identifiable
d)
all of the above
14.
_________ fossils can be found in tar, amber, deserts, and ice.
a)
trace
b)
original remains
c)
petrified
d)
cast
15.
A fault is always _________ than the layers of sedimentary rock it cuts through.
a)
older than
b)
younger than
c)
the same age as
16.
Which statement is not true?
a)
Older rock layers will be found under younger rock layers.
b)
Rock layers are always younger than the igneous intrusions that cut through them.
c)
Nonconformities are sedimentary rocks that lie on top of metamorphic or igneous rock layers
d)
Faults, intrusions, folding, and tilting are examples of disturbances.
17.
I found a layer of sandstone with a 400 million year old trilobite in it. Laying below is a layer of metamorphic rock. Which of the following must be true?
a)
the metamorphic rock must be younger than 400 million years old.
b)
The sandstone is greater than 800 million years old.
c)
The metamorphic rock must be at least 400 million years old.
d)
The metamorphic rock was deposited after the trilobite was alive.
18.
When scientists use logic to determine the age of one fossil compared to another, they use this type of dating.
a)
Relative
b)
Carbon
c)
Absolute
19.
What law dictates the answer to question 19?
a)
The law of horizontality
b)
The law of superposition
c)
The law of included fragments
d)
The law of uniformatism
20.
The law of included fragments states that____________
a)
the sand grains that make up a larger piece of sandstone are older than the sandstone
b)
the sand grains that make up a larger piece of sandstone are young than the sandstone
c)
the sand grains that make up a larger piece of sandstone are the same age as the sandstone
21.
The Cenozoic Era is the age of _______________.
a)
recent life
b)
mammals
c)
both a and b
d)
neither a nor b
22.
During which Era did the earliest humans appear?
a)
Cenozoic
b)
Paleozoic
c)
Mesozoic
d)
Precambrian
23.
During which Era appeared the earliest dinosaurs?
a)
Cenozoic
b)
Paleozoic
c)
Mesozoic
d)
Precambrian
24.
According to the law of superposition, the oldest fossils are found
a)
At the top of the rock layers
b)
Near the bottom of the rock layers
c)
In the middle of the rock layers
d)
Somewhat near the surface
25.
gaps in rock layers caused by erosion are called
a)
law of superposition
b)
unconformities
c)
uniformitarianism
d)
relative dating
26.
Which type of dating method can be used on rock layers by applying the Law of Superposition?
a)
relative dating
b)
absolute dating
c)
radioactive dating
d)
radiometric dating
27.
states that the geologic feature which cuts another is the younger of the two features
a)
law of horizontality
b)
cross cutting relationships
c)
law of superposition
d)
uniformitarianism
28.
What happens during radioactive decay?
a)
A stable isotope of one element changes into an unstable isotope of a different element
b)
A stable isotope of one element changes into an unstable isotope of the same element
c)
An unstable isotope of one element changes into a stable isotope of a different element
d)
An unstable isotope of one element changes into a stable isotope of the same element
29.
How many of the original atoms of a decaying isotope remain unchanged after three half-lives?
a)
three-halves
b)
three-quarters
c)
one-quarter
d)
one-eighth
30.
The length of time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay is its...
a)
era
b)
age
c)
half-life
d)
eon
31.
Scientists use radioactive decay to measure...
a)
relative time
b)
absolute time
c)
half-lives
d)
time of day
32.
Most fossils are found in __________ rock layers
a)
metamorphic
b)
sedimentary
c)
igneous
33.
What does finding marine shells in the woods of Pennsylvania tell scientists?
a)
Marine species once lived on land.
b)
The area of Pennsylvania was once underwater.
c)
The fossils had most likely been transported from a marine environment to Pennsylvania.
d)
Marine organisms have adapted to survive on land.
34.
What makes using radioactive material useful for dating rock layers?
a)
it is dangerous to be near
b)
it decays at a constant rate
c)
sedimentary rock layers don't have radioactive material
d)
it can only be found in metamorphic rock
35.
Which best describes a fossil that helps determine the relative age of a rock layer?
a)
trace fossil
b)
index fossil
c)
radioactive fossil
d)
unconformity fossil
36.
Which is the most accurate method scientists can use to estimate Earth's age?
a)
relativism
b)
superposition
c)
relative dating
d)
radioactive dating
37.
Which statement is true ?
a)
The oldest layers of rock and soil are closet to the surface of the earth
b)
The youngest layers of rock and soil are farther away from the surface of the earth
c)
Carbon-14 dating is an example of relative dating an the law of superposition is an example of absolute dating
d)
Absolute geologic dating an relative geologic dating are two methods used by scientists to determine age of geologic evidence
38.
Which best describes radiometric dating?
a)
using instruments that detect radioactivity to figure out how old something is
b)
measuring the relative amounts of a radioactive isotope and a daughter product to figure out the age of a sample
c)
measuring how quickly the different radioactive isotopes in a sample decay to figure out the age of the sample
d)
using short-wavelength electromagnetic radiation to determine the age of a sample
39.
During which era did the earliest humans appear?
a)
Paleozoic
b)
Mesozoic
c)
Cenozoic
d)
Pre-Cambrian
40.
Which of the following best describes the process of relative dating?
a)
Determining the percentage of isotopes of radioactive elements in a fossil
b)
Using carbon dating to determine the age of rock layers
c)
Comparing the position of rock layers relative to one another to determine the order that they were laid down.
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