WorksheetsFossils
Total questions: 51
Worksheet time: 38mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
People who study fossils are called ____.
a)
meterologists
b)
fossilologists
c)
paleontologists
d)
fossil hunters
2.
Which of the following is NOT an example of a fossil?
a)
a petrified dinosaur bone
b)
a footprint captured in mud
c)
a seashell found on the beach
d)
an insect stuck in amber
3.
Which of the following is NOT something you could learn from a fossil?
a)
The size of the animal
b)
What the animal ate
c)
The color of the animal
d)
Where the animal lived
4.
In which kind of rock do we usually find a fossil?
a)
sedimentary rock
b)
metamorphic rock
c)
igneous rock
5.
In order for a fossil to form, which of the following events must happen FIRST?
a)
Slowly, minerals in the water replace the bone.
b)
Sediment covers the bone.
c)
An animal dies.
d)
The bone is no longer a bone, but a rock copy.
6.
_____ is any living thing, plant or animal, even you!
a)
A paleontologist
b)
An organism
c)
A fossil
d)
A rock
7.
Why don't we know what many ancient plants looked like?
a)
They had too many soft parts.
b)
They were all eaten by dinosaurs.
c)
There weren't ancient plants.
d)
They had too many hard parts.
8.
Which statement BEST describes how the fossil bones of a dinosaur are formed?
a)
The dinosaur became trapped in amber.
b)
The dinosaur was covered in sediment.
c)
The dinosaur was frozen in ice.
d)
The dinosaur stepped in wet mud.
9.
What happens when a group of animals become extinct?
a)
All of its members have died.
b)
Only a few of its members are still living.
c)
The animals can no longer lay eggs.
d)
All of its members move to another place.
10.
Lily sees a skeleton of a dinosaur at a museum. What is true about the bones that make up the skeleton?
a)
The bones are made up of minerals.
b)
The bones are those of the dinosaur itself.
c)
The bones were formed from mud that hardened.
d)
The bones are made up of amber.
11.
How are Sedimentary Rocks formed?
a)
Cooling and Hardening
b)
Heat and Pressure
c)
Compacting and Cementing
d)
Melting
12.
Where can the oldest layer be found?
a)
The top layer
b)
The middle layer
c)
They are all the same age
d)
The bottom layer
13.
In what kind of rock can fossils be found?
a)
Sedimentary Rocks
b)
Igneous Rocks
c)
Metamorphic Rocks
d)
Granite
14.
How are fossils created?
a)
Traces of organisms get turned into stone.
b)
Dead organisms are quickly buried for millions of years.
c)
Animals get trapped.
d)
All of the above
15.
What are the 3 main fossil fuels?
a)
Coal, Oil, and Gasoline
b)
Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas
c)
Electricity, Gasoline, Petroleum
d)
Coal, Oil, Non-renewable Resources
16.
What must be present for Fossil Fuels to form?
a)
Bones and Sediment
b)
Dead Organisms and Layers of Sediment
c)
Dead Organisms, Layers of Sediment, and Heat & Pressure over time
d)
Bones, Layers of Sediment, and Heat & Pressure over time
17.
Fossil Fuels formed over long periods of time after particles in water settled to the sea floor and formed marine mud. What kinds of particles needed to be present in the marine mud in order for fossil fuels to form.
a)
Mostly sand and a few small bits of wood
b)
Mostly decaying organisms
c)
Mostly lava and a few sedimentary rocks
d)
Mostly metal minerals
18.
Some students made a model to show one of the first steps in the formation of sedimentary rock. The students pour 2 cm of light-colored sand into a clear plastic box. Then they add 1 cm of gravel. Finally, they pour 2 cm of dark-colored sand on top of the gravel. Which characteristic of sedimentary rock does this model best show?
a)
Sedimentary rock is made of layers.
b)
Sedimentary rock is cemented bits of rock.
c)
Sedimentary rock is often limestone.
d)
Sedimentary rock is common in Texas.
19.
All of these are related to the formation of oil or natural gas EXCEPT
a)
Decomposed Animals
b)
Decayed Plants
c)
Sedimentary Rocks
d)
Active Volcanoes
20.
Coal often forms where once there was swamps. What characteristic of swamps is important to the formation of coal?
a)
High Temperature
b)
Abundant Plant Life
c)
Frequent Rains
d)
Reptile Predators
21.
What changes buried organic matter into fossil fuels?
a)
Industrial Pollution
b)
Ocean Currents
c)
Volcanic Activity
d)
Heat and Pressure
22.
A student creates a model of the formation of fossil fuels by first placing a layer of leaves, representing organic matter, in the bottom of a cup. What step will come next in the model?
a)
Pouring water over the leaves to model washing away by rivers
b)
adding sand on top of the leaves to model burial in sediments
c)
Burning the leaves to model the decay of organic matter
d)
Putting the leaves in the freezer to model conditions on top of mountains
23.
Which layer formed first?
a)
Rock Layer W
b)
Rock Layer X
c)
Rock Layer Y
d)
Rock Layer Z
24.
What feature is the same in the formation of many sedimentary rocks and all fossil fuels? Many sedimentary rocks and all fossil fuels -
a)
require material to be buried and exposed to heat and pressure
b)
are made out of organic material that stores the sun's energy
c)
form where there are frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity
d)
are produced high in the mountains where temperatures are low
25.
Sedimentary rocks form when broken bits of other rock are deposited and then -
a)
buried and squeezed and cemented together
b)
melted by the heat of the Earth's core
c)
completely dissolved in the salt water of the ocean
d)
used by humans as a natural resource
26.
Fossils give us evidence about which of the following?
a)
plants and animals that lived long ago
b)
how weathering and erosion break down rocks
c)
the other planets in our solar system
d)
the transfer of energy from one form to another
27.
Most sedimentary rock forms in the ocean. This is because oceans -
a)
emit much less pollution that other habitats
b)
receive the majority of the Sun's energy
c)
have fewer plants and animals than on land
d)
are where most bits of broken rock get deposited
28.
Several wooly mammoth fossils have been found. Mammoths, which lived hundreds of thousands of years ago, were covered with thick fur. Based on the evidence, mammoth fossils tell us that the area in which they are found -
a)
has too many humans
b)
no longer has large animals
c)
was, at one time, very cold
d)
receives more rain that it used to
29.
Finding fossils in an area can help us learn what about that location?
a)
Which places in the region receive the most sunlight
b)
The effect of the climate on the formation of the soil
c)
How modern plants and animals interact there
d)
The kinds of organisms that lived there long ago
30.
An area is currently a forest. What evidence would best indicate that this area was covered by water millions of years ago?
a)
An increase in rainfall in the forest over time
b)
The presence of plants in the forest that need water to live
c)
Fossils of fish discovered in rock below the forest
d)
Insects in the forest that lay their eggs in the water
31.
What are scientist called who study fossils?
a)
Fossilologist
b)
Paleontologist
c)
Fossil Scientist
d)
Geologist
32.
What type of rock is most likely to contain a fossil?
a)
Igneuos
b)
Metamorphic
c)
Sedimentary
d)
Fossilized
33.
What is amber?
a)
Tree Sap
b)
The girl in our class
c)
An animal
34.
How to Paleontologist know that a fossil is old?
a)
The older the more basic
b)
The older the more complex
c)
The older the saltier
d)
The older the more deeper
35.
True or False? "A fossil that gets buried quickly has a more likely chance of fossilizing"
a)
False
b)
True
36.
What does "cen-" mean?
a)
Center
b)
Circle
c)
New
d)
Century
37.
True Or False? "Paleo- Means perfect"
a)
True
b)
False
38.
What problem can a decomposer create in the fossilization process?
a)
Decompose it
b)
Compose it
c)
Make it slimy
39.
Where and what is this?
a)
Tar Pit in LA
b)
Tar Pit in Mexico
c)
Oil Spill in LA
d)
Oil Spill in Mexico
40.
What is a Cast?
a)
Imprint left by something
b)
Something you wear on a broken bone
c)
Shell
41.
These are dinosaur footprints. What is this a example of?
a)
All of the below!!!!!
b)
index fossil
c)
permineralized remains
d)
trace fossil
42.
This type of fossil forms when sediments bury an organism and then sediments change into rock; the organism decays leaving a cavity in the shape of the organism.
a)
mold
b)
cast
c)
petrified
d)
trace
43.
This type of fossil forms when a mold is filled with sand or mud that hardens into the shape of the organism.
a)
mold
b)
cast
c)
trace
d)
preserved
44.
This type of fossil forms when minerals soak into the buried remains, replacing the remains, and changing them into rock.
a)
mold
b)
cast
c)
petrified
d)
preserved
45.
This type of fossil forms when entire organisms or parts of organisms are prevented from decaying by being trapped in rock, ice, tar, or amber.
a)
trace
b)
preserved or original remains
c)
carbonized or carbon film
d)
index
46.
Shells and skeletons are typically fossilized in this fashion.
a)
mold and cast
b)
trace
c)
carbonized or carbon film
d)
permineralized or petrified
47.
These fossils are distinguishable from other fossils because they were scattered over a large region, very common, and lived during a short span of geologic time
a)
trace
b)
index
c)
permineralized
d)
mold and cast
48.
What type of fossil is pictured?
a)
mold
b)
cast
c)
trace fossil
d)
petrified fossil
49.
4. What is the name of this kind of fossil?
a)
Amber Fossil
b)
Exoskeleton fossil
c)
Trace Fossil
d)
Petrification Fossil
50.
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
51.
According to the law of superposition, which layer is the youngest?
a)
A
b)
B
c)
C
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