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WorksheetsLife Science: Ch. 9 - The History of Life on Earth
Total questions: 139
Worksheet time: 1hrs 10mins
The trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago is called a _____.
sedimentary rock
fossil
body
trace element
Fossil evidence of forests and freshwater organisms in Antarctica shows that in the past, _____.
Antarctica was colder
Antarctica was warmer
Antarctica was under water
nothing lived in Antarctica
Fossils that appear all over the world in certain rock layers are _____.
index fossils
coprolites
trace fossils
mammoths
What is one reason the fossil record is incomplete?
Earth does not have much sedimentary rock.
Only small organisms became fossils.
Most organisms have only soft body parts.
Most organisms never became fossils.
How do fossilized organisms in younger rock layers compare to fossilized organisms in older rock layers?
They are older.
They are younger.
They are smaller.
They are larger.
substance that replaces the tissues of an organism during petrification
asphalt
sediment
ice
minerals
amber
hardened tree sap where insect fossils have been found
asphalt
sediment
ice
minerals
amber
substance in sticky pools that traps and preserves animals at La Brea
asphalt
sediment
ice
minerals
amber
substance that slowed down decay and preserved animals from the last ice age
asphalt
sediment
ice
minerals
amber
substance that buries and preserves the hard parts of organisms
asphalt
sediment
ice
minerals
amber
Earth's tectonic plates move and change shape because of _____.
continental drift
plate tectonics
plate boundary
continental lithosphere
What term describes how continents have moved around Earth's surface throughout Earth's history?
continental drift
plate tectonics
plate boundary
continental lithosphere
Tectonic plates move thousands of miles over geologic time, but only between _____.
2 m and 5 m per year
2 cm and 5 cm per year
2 mm and 5 mm per day
2 km and 5 km per year
Mesosaurus fossils found in South America and southwestern Africa show that Mesosaurus _____.
crossed a land bridge between continents
evolved on two separate continents
lived when the continents are joined
swam the ocean between continents
Armadillos came to North America from South America _____.
across the Panama Canal
on the Gulf Stream
across the Panama Land Bridge
when the continents split
What caused the Gulf Stream to form?
the Panama Canal
the Gulf of Panama
the Panama Land Bridge
the Pacific Panama coast
The largest division of geologic time is a(n) _____.
period
eon
epoch
era
Earth's 4.6 billion-year history is divided into manageable parts on the _____.
geologic time frame
geologic time scale
archaeological time scale
historical time scale
The boundary between geologic time intervals can correspond to climate change or to the _____.
appearance of a single species
extinction of a single species
appearance of a significant number of species
mass evolution of all species
When did the first organisms appear in Earth's oceans?
about 4.6 billion years ago
about 4.6 million years ago
about 3.6 billion years ago
about 3.6 million years ago
How did cyanobacteria help form Earth's oceans and air?
They release water.
They release radiation.
They release ozone.
They release oxygen gas.
Which era ended with the largest mass extinction in Earth's history?
Paleozoic
Mesozoic
Cenozoic
Jurassic
What catastrophic event most likely marked the end of the Mesozoic Era?
change in major ocean currents
evaporation of inland seas
destruction of habitat by a hurricane
impact of an object from our solar system
Camels, horses, and humans first appeared during the _____.
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
Jurassic Era
What animals have been dominant in the Cenozoic Era?
insects
birds
single-celled organisms
mammals
What is used to divide Earth's history into smaller pieces of time?
the geologic time scale
the geographic time scale
the prehistoric time scale
the archaeological time scale
What is the largest division of Earth's geologic time scale?
eon
era
period
epoch
What is the second-largest division of Earth's geologic time scale?
eon
era
period
epoch
On the geologic time scale, how are periods divided?
by eons
by eras
by epochs
by millennia
What can the appearance or disappearance of many species help define?
climate changes
species extinction rates
geologic time boundaries
species appearance rates
What is the death of every member of a species?
endangerment
mergin
extinction
flourishing
What is one gradual change that can cause a mass extinction?
an asteroid strike
a climate change
a volcano eruption
a tsunami
What is one catastrophic event that can cause a mass extinction?
an asteroid strike
a tornado
a hurricane
a forest fire
About when did life first appear?
1.8 billion years ago
2.7 billion years ago
3.6 billion years ago
4.5 billion years ago
What did cyanobacteria add to the atmosphere?
oxygen gas
radiation
magnetic fields
ultraviolet rays
What did ozone do that helped life survive on land?
increased radiation
reduced radiation
increased oxygen
reduced oxygen
In what way are cells of eukaryotes different from cells of prokaryotes?
They are larger.
They are smaller.
They have a nucleus.
They don't have a nucleus.
About how long ago was the Paleozoic Era?
4.6 billion to 542 million years
542 to 251 million years
261 to 65 million years
65 million years to today
What kind of life flourished at the beginning of the Paleozoic Era?
mammals
reptiles
marine life
birds
When did life forms with shells and exoskeletons first appear?
during the Cambrian explosion
during the Cambrian extinction
during the Permian extinction
during the Permian explosion
What do fossils show were the first land animals?
dinosaurs
arthropods
fish
humans
In what era did all major plant groups, except for flowering plants, appear?
Archaean
Cenozoic
Paleozoic
Mesozoic
What was Earth's largest mass extinction that we know about?
the Tertiary extinction
the Cretaceous extinction
the Permian extinction
the Cambrian extinction
What percentage of marine species became extinct during the Permian Extinction?
90%
78%
50%
30%
What percentage of land species became extinct during the Permian Extinction?
90%
78%
50%
30%
What animals survived from the Permian Period into the Mesozoic Era?
bacteria
fungi
reptiles
mammals
What are the best-known reptiles from the Mesozoic Era?
salamanders
worms
birds
dinosaurs
What plants formed large forests in the Mesozoic Era?
conifers
ferns
grass
flowers
What organisms disappeared during the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction?
all dinosaurs
all animals
all plants
all fish
What do scientists believe may have caused the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction?
ultraviolet radiation from the sun
impact of an object from the solar system
competition from new predators
destruction of habitat by a major flood
What is the fossil evidence that there was a Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction?
Fossils disappeared from the record.
Fossils appeared in the record.
Cretaceous and Tertiary fossils are the same.
One fossil was left in the record.
When did the Cenozoic Era begin?
50,000 years ago
1 million years ago
40 million years ago
65 million years ago
When did the Cenozoic Era end?
50,000 years ago
1 million years ago
40 million years ago
The Cenozoic Era has not ended.
Why do scientists know more about the Cenozoic Era than about earlier eras?
Cenozoic fossils are easy to find.
Cenozoic fossils are hard to find.
Cenozoic fossils have not formed.
Early humans left pictures.
What is the Cenozoic Era sometimes called?
Age of Discovery
Age of Reptiles
Age of Mammals
Age of Amphibians
When did humans first appear?
early in the Cenozoic Era
late in the Cenozoic Era
early in the Mesozoic Era
late in the Mesozoic Era
In the Cenozoic Era, when did ice sheets move out from Earth's poles?
in the polar ages
in the glacial ages
in the ice ages
in the Age of Reptiles
How did many animals survive during the ice ages?
They migrated toward the equator.
They migrated toward the poles.
They hibernated through the ice ages.
They learned to live underwater.
What theory explains how Earth's tectonic plates move and change shape?
plate boundary
geologic time scale
continental drift
plate tectonics
What happens as Earth's mantle drags on the bottom of tectonic plates?
The plates move.
The plates spin.
The plates sink.
The plates rise.
How fast do Earth's tectonic plates move?
between 2 and 5 km per year
between 2 and 5 m per year
between 2 and 5 cm per year
between 1 and 5 mm per year
the thin, "cool" skin of Earth
tectonic plates
lithosphere
mantle
atmosphere
smaller blocks of lithosphere
tectonic plates
lithosphere
mantle
atmosphere
thick layer of solid rock where tectonic plates sit
tectonic plates
lithosphere
mantle
atmosphere
What are the places where two or more tectonic plates meet?
plate barriers
plate collisions
plate boundaries
plate locks
At what kind of boundary do tectonic plates move together?
convergent boundary
divergent boundary
transform boundary
mantle boundary
At what kind of boundary do tectonic plates move apart?
convergent boundary
divergent boundary
transform boundary
mantle boundary
At what kind of boundary do tectonic plates slide past each other?
convergent boundary
divergent boundary
transform boundary
mantle boundary
What forms if plates of continental lithosphere are forced together?
mountain belts
a line of volcanoes
a new sea
earthquakes
What may form if oceanic lithosphere sinks at a convergent boundary?
mountain belts
a line of volcanoes
a new sea
earthquakes
What forms if a rift tears apart a continent, then widens for millions of years?
mountain belts
a line of volcanoes
a new sea
earthquakes
What is a giant crack in the lithosphere called?
volcano
fissure
rift
fault
What can be caused by the movement of tectonic plates at a transform boundary?
mountain belts
a line of volcanoes
a new sea
earthquakes
What is a well-known transform boundary in California?
Ring of Fire
Panama Land Bridge
New Madrid fault
San Andreas fault
What term describes how continents have moved throughout Earth's history?
lithospheric movement
mantle shift
continental drift
oceanic drift
What does a continent do as it moves across Earth's surface?
It creates a channel.
It pushes waves ahead.
It gains speed.
It carries rocks and fossils.
What evidence has been found showing that India was once covered with glaciers?
ice-scratched rocks
ancient forests
polar bear remains
fossilized dog sleds
What did India, South America, and Africa form about 280 million years ago?
a single landmass
a pair of landmasses
a single ocean
an asteroid
About how long did Mesosaurus live?
2,700 years
27,000 years
270,000 years
270 million years
What do Mesosaurus fossils tell us about South America and southwestern Africa?
They have always been separate.
They were once joined.
They are moving together.
They have the same climate.
When were all the continents part of one giant continent scientists call Pangaea?
about 65 million years ago
about 135 million years ago
about 245 million years ago
about 1 billion years ago
What happened to show that tectonic plates split apart and moved?
Rocks and fossils moved.
All living things died.
All of Earth's ice melted.
Living things stopped evolving.
What happened to climates of continents as they moved toward the equator?
They became warmer.
They became colder.
They became drier.
They did not change.
What happened to Antarctica as the other continents moved away?
The icecap melted.
An icecap formed.
Volcanoes erupted.
Mountain belts formed.
What happened to living things when Pangaea split into separate continents?
They lived on just one continent.
They disappeared from all continents.
They moved to separate continents.
They froze on each continent.
What happened to living things when the environments on continents changed?
They all disappeared.
They all moved to the sea.
They stayed the same.
They changed.
About 3 million years ago, what joined North and South America?
Panama Land Bridge
Panama Canal
Gulf of Mexico
Pangaea Land Bridge
What are some animals that walked to North America across the Panama Land Bridge?
camels and cats
elephants and tigers
clams and corals
opossums and armadillos
After the Panama Land Bridge formed, what did the Gulf Stream do to the climate of Western Europe?
made it very hot
made it very cold
made it mild
made it extreme
What is the trace or remains of an organism that lived long ago called?
sediment
fossil
trace element
rock
Which parts of an organism are often preserved in sedimentary rock?
digested parts
sticky parts
soft parts
hard parts
Where are most fossils preserved?
asphalt
ice
sedimentary rock
metamorphic rock
What is amber?
hardened tree sap
soft, sticky tree sap
ice in glaciers
wood replaced by minerals
What kind of fossils are often found in amber?
insects
fish
dinosaurs
clams
In 1999, where did scientists find remains of a woolly mammoth?
petrified wood
frozen tundra
asphalt
amber
Why are many fossil remains left from the last ice age?
Freezing slowed down their decay.
Tar slowed down their decay.
Tree sap slowed down their decay.
Hard minerals slowed down their decay.
How long have organisms been trapped and preserved in the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California?
no more than 500 years
no more than 1,000 years
for at least 38,000 years
for at least one million years
What trapped and preserved many kinds of organisms at La Brea?
petrified wood
sticky tree sap
sticky tar
quicksand
In what process do minerals replace an organism's tissues?
freezing
burning
sedimentation
petrification
In what process do minerals replace holes and open spaces in bones?
freezing
burning
sedimentation
petrification
In what process do minerals replace ALL of an organism's tissues?
freezing
burning
sedimentation
petrification
Any fossilized evidence of an animal's activity is a(n) _____.
trace fossil
footprint
burrow
coprolite
A trace fossil that can show how big an animal was and how fast it moved is a(n) _____.
trace fossil
footprint
burrow
coprolite
A trace fossil of a shelter made by an animal is a(n) _____.
trace fossil
footprint
burrow
coprolite
A trace fossil made of preserved animal dung is called a(n) _____.
trace fossil
footprint
burrow
coprolite
an impression left in rock where a plant or animal was buried
cast
mold
an object formed when sediment fills a mold and becomes rock
cast
mold
What kind of ancient organisms do scientists know the most about?
organisms with soft bodies
organisms with hard bodies
organisms that were eaten
organisms that burned up
Why does the fossil record give only part of the history of life on Earth?
The fossil record is incomplete.
All fossils have been discovered.
All environments are good for fossils.
No more fossils will ever be made.
Where were the marine fossils found on mountains formed?
in a forest
in a desert
at an ocean bottom
in asphalt
What can be learned about the climate of Antarctica from fossils of freshwater organisms?
Antarctica used to be warmer.
Antarctica used to be colder.
Antarctica used to be a desert.
Antarctica used to be mountains.
What can scientists learn by comparing similarities between fossils and living organisms?
Life has never changed.
All life forms are alike.
Life has changed over time.
Life changes have been continuously recorded.
What rock layers have fossils of the oldest life forms?
relative layers
radioactive layers
young layers
old layers
What kind of fossil appears all around the world in certain rock layers?
content fossils
index fossils
dinosaur fossils
unidentified fossils
How old are rock layers where Phacops fossils are found?
about 100 million years old
less than 200 million years old
almost 300 million years old
about 400 million years old
When were the rock layers where Tropites fossils are found formed?
between 10,000 and 5,000 years ago
between 1 million and 500,000 years ago
between 230 and 208 million years ago
1 billion years ago
During what mass extinction did all the dinosaurs die out?
Permian extinction
Triassic-Permian extinction
Cretaceous extinction
Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction
How can Phacops fossils help show a rock layer is over 400 million years old?
Phacops fossils are trace fossils.
Phacops fossils are South American fossils.
Phacops fossils are sedimentary fossils.
Phacops fossils are index fossils.
What does the theory of plate tectonics help explain?
how mantle is formed
how Earth's atmosphere formed
how tectonic plates move
how fossils are formed
What do scientists use to divide Earth's natural history into smaller pieces?
geologic time scale
fossil record
theory of plate tectonics
Precambrian time scale
Where are fossils of the oldest life forms found?
in young rock layers
in old rock layers
in frozen tundra
in petrified wood
How long ago did life first appear on Earth?
3.6 million years
36 million years
360 million years
3.6 billion years
What term describes how continents have moved across Earth's surface?
plate tectonics
continental drift
continental theory
tectonic drift
Why is the fossil record not complete?
There are too many fossils.
Every organism formed fossils.
Fossils have stopped forming.
Not every organism formed fossils.
Why are Mesosaurus fossils found in South America and southwestern Africa?
The continents never separated.
Mesosaurus crossed a land bridge.
Mesosaurus could swim.
The continents were once joined.
How did armadillos and opossums get from South America to North America?
They crossed the Panama Land Bridge.
They crossed the Panama Canal.
They crossed the Gulf of Mexico.
They crossed the Bering Land Bridge.
era when new life forms appeared during the Cambrian explosion
Mesozoic Era
Precambrian time
Cenozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
era when humans appeared
Mesozoic Era
Precambrian time
Cenozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
time period when cyanobacteria put oxygen gas into oceans and air
Mesozoic Era
Precambrian time
Cenozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
era when dinosaurs lived
Mesozoic Era
Precambrian time
Cenozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
boundary at the San Andreas fault, where plates slide past each other
convergent boundary
plate boundary
transform boundary
divergent boundary
boundary where tectonic plates move apart
convergent boundary
plate boundary
transform boundary
divergent boundary
boundary where continental lithosphere crumples to make mountain belts
convergent boundary
plate boundary
transform boundary
divergent boundary
any boundary where two or more tectonic plates meet
convergent boundary
plate boundary
transform boundary
divergent boundary
For 38,000 years, organisms have been trapped and preserved at La Brea in deposits of _____.
amber
sediment
coprolite
mold
asphalt
Insect fossils have been formed in hardened tree sap called _____.
amber
sediment
coprolite
mold
asphalt
A trace fossil formed from preserved animal dung is called a(n) _____.
amber
sediment
coprolite
mold
asphalt
Plants and animals buried in sediment leave a trace fossil called a(n) _____.
amber
sediment
coprolite
mold
asphalt
Fossils can be formed when hard parts of dead animals are covered with _____.
amber
sediment
coprolite
mold
asphalt
