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Fossils

Total questions: 12

Worksheet time: 7mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
People who study fossils are called ____.
a)
meterologists
b)
fossilologists
c)
paleontologists
d)
fossil hunters
2.
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.
3.
_____ is any living thing, plant or animal, even you!
a)
A paleontologist
b)
An organism
c)
A fossil
d)
A rock
4.
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.
5.
If scientists found this fossil, what could they infer?
a)
what fish are like today
b)
that this fish lacked oxygen
c)
what kind of animal ate this fish
d)
that water once covered the area
6.

What does petrified mean?

a)

turned to stone

b)

turned to fire

c)

decompose

d)

turned to ashes

7.

What happens to insects when they become trapped in amber?

a)

they form molds

b)

they are preserved (they stay the same)

c)

they decay

d)

they form casts

8.

Which statement BEST describes how the fossil bones of a dinosaur are formed?

a)

The dinosaur stepped in wet mud.

b)

The dinosaur was covered in sediment.

c)

The dinosaur became trapped in amber.

d)

The dinosaur was frozen in ice.

9.

Which of the following is NOT an example of a fossil?

a)

an insect stuck in amber

b)

a petrified dinosaur bone

c)

a seashell found on the beach

d)

a footprint captured in mud

10.

A paleontologist finds a fossil of a fish on top of a mountain. She can infer that the area was once ___________________________.

a)

much cooler

b)

underwater

c)

much warmer

d)

a desert

11.

Long ago, small organisms became trapped in sticky tree sap that hardened. What is the hardened sap called?

a)

a cast

b)

an imprint

c)

a mold

d)

amber

12.

The preserved remains of a plant or animal that lived long ago are called ____________.

a)

soil

b)

fossils

c)

rocks

d)

humus