WorksheetsLockeD! (5.9D) Fossils #1
Total questions: 25
Worksheet time: 13mins
The diagram shows rock layers next to a road. Layer F contains many plant fossils. Layer F most likely formed in which of these environments?
Desert
Forest
Ocean
Tundra
The rock column above shows the layers in a rock formation. The three diagrams above show the positions of fossils in different rock layers. According to this information, which fossil is the youngest?
The Davis Mountains in West Texas used to be taller than they are now. Which of the following conditions most likely caused the mountains to become shorter over time?
Heat and pressure
Soil deposition
Rain and wind
River formation
By examining fossils, scientists think that—
plants have changed over time, but animals have not
animals have changed over time, but plants have not
many changes have occurred to plants and animals
it is not possible to determine the past from fossils
Why do scientists study fossils?
To find out what past climates were like
To figure out how plants and animals have changed
To learn how the Solar System formed
All of the above answer choices
By examining fossils, scientists think that compared to today, in the past Earth's climate has—
always been the same
cooled only during the Ice Age
warmed and cooled many times
warmed only since humans started burning fossil fuels
Most fossils are found in –
frozen rock
igneous rock
sedimentary rock
metamorphic rock
What information CANNOT be learned from studying an animal fossil?
The size of the animal
How much the animal weighed
How long ago the animal lived
The number of offspring the animal had
The diagram shows layers of sedimentary rock in the Earth’s crust. In which layer of rock should a scientist expect to find the oldest fossils?
Layer M
Layer N
Layer O
Layer P
The diagram shows layers of sedimentary rocks and examples of their fossils. Which layer contains the oldest fossils?
Layer 2
Layer 4
Layer 1
Layer 3
Which fossil below MOST LIKELY comes from the oldest layer?
Which fossil comes from the layer that is older than layer 1 but younger than layer 3?
Which is the BEST evidence scientists have concerning the existence of dinosaurs?
Fossilized bones of dinosaurs
Cave paintings of ancient dinosaurs
Stories passed down from generation to generation
Photographs of similar animals, like the Loch Ness Monster
The diagram represents a cross-section of a cliff. It shows several rock layers containing fossils. Which of the following layers of rock is most likely the youngest?
The layer containing trilobites
The layer containing fishes
The layer containing amphibians
The layer containing dinosaurs
A scientist found a fossil that was buried 5 meters below the surface of the ground. The next week she found a fossil that was 10 meters below the surface. What is most likely true about the deeper fossil?
It is younger
It is older
It is larger
It is smaller
What is a fossil?
The preserved remains of a dead plant or animal found in a rock
Fuels that formed from the decayed remains of plants and animals
A solid natural material that has a crystal form and its own set of properties
A resource that can replace itself in a relatively short period of time
Scientists claim that the area around the Grand Canyon was once covered by an ocean. What evidence would support their claim?
Dinosaur footprints were found near the Grand Canyon
Fish were found living in the rivers of the Grand Canyon
Fossils of ocean animals were found at the Grand Canyon
Bones from desert animals were found at the Grand Canyon
The following drawing is a cutaway view of the Earth’s surface. What story might this slice of the Earth tell us?
The Earth is not level
An earthquake shifted the layers of the Earth
There are fish fossils all over the Earth
Layer A was formed before Layer D
As sedimentary rock is laid down over time, the oldest layers are usually on the bottom and the newest are on top. Which of the following would have an effect on the order of the rock layers in a certain area?
Erosion caused by rain
Rock folding and tilting
Wind erosion
Lava flows near a volcano
Plant fossils that we find today began forming millions of years ago. What allowed the process to begin?
Consumers ate all of the plants
Rainfall eroded huge mountains
Dinosaurs roamed the Earth
Plants grew, died, and decayed
Which layer is the oldest?
Kaibab limestone
Hermit shale
Redwall limestone
Vishnu schist
Scientists use fossil evidence to determine details about the environment in which the organism lived. The environment is the surroundings in which the organism lived. The picture shows a limestone building block. Which of these BEST shows that the limestone was formed from ocean sediments?
The position of the fossils
The number of the fossils
The type of fossils
The size of the fossils
Scientists see three layers of rock exposed on the side of a hill. The bottom layer is sandstone with fossils of a certain species of reptile found only in this geographic location. The middle layer is volcanic ash. The top layer is mud stone (shale) with fossils of a different species of reptile. The fossil evidence supports which hypothesis about the extinction of the older reptile species?
The older reptile species went extinct because sea levels rose and flooded its habitat.
The older reptile species went extinct because a predator was introduced into the environment.
The older reptile species went extinct because it could not compete with the younger reptile species
The older reptile species went extinct because a volcanic eruption caused the environment to change
According to the picture above, which layer of sedimentary rocks is the oldest?
Layer 4
Layer 3
Layer 2
Layer 1
How can scientists learn about dinosaurs even though they have been extinct for millions of years?
By studying fossil fuels found deep in the Earth
By studying fossils found all over the Earth
By studying places where erosion took place
By studying places where deposition took place
