WorksheetsUnit 2: Earth's History
Total questions: 38
Worksheet time: 2hrs 52mins
Which is the oldest rock layer?
A
C
D
E
Earth's earliest atmosphere lacked which gas that is necessary for life as we know it to exist today?
Argon
Oxygen
Carbon dioxide
Nitrogen
Scientists estimate that if index fossils were deposited during a certain time frame, then the entire rock layer was also deposited at the same time.
A scientist finds Trophite fossils. According to the chart above, in what era and period was this rock layer deposited?
Cenozoic era; Tertiary period
Mesozoic era; Triassic period
Paleozoic era; Permian period
Paleozoic era; Mississippian period
A scientist drew some diagrams of ancestors of elephants based on fossil evidence.
Which is the BEST conclusion that can be made from comparing the diagrams?
Elephant species have changed over time.
Ancient elephants were better adapted than modern elephants
Elephant habitats have remained the same over time.
Elephant fossil evidence is widespread and complete
When two fish die, Fish A sinks to the bottom of a lake and Fish B washes up on the rocky lake shore.
Why is a fossil more likely to form from the body of Fish A than from the body of Fish B?
Soft parts of the fish will decay more quickly in the water.
Sediments in the water will quickly cover the fish
Scavengers in the water will eat the remains of the fish.
Currents in the water will move the fish.
What information can radiometric dating give?
relative age of a rock sample
absolute age of a rock sample
number of trace fossils in a rock sample
number of index fossils in a rock sample
Geological evidence shows that fossil ancestors of Australian species are the same as fossil ancestors of species in Africa, South America, India, and Antarctica. Which best explains this?
Rocks containing fossils of these organisms were carried to other places by ocean currents.
Global climate changes occurred, forcing animals to migrate from their native lands.
The same organisms evolved separately on different continents.
These areas were once connected as one continent as Pangaea
A fault is found that cuts through lower rock layers but not those above it. What can most likely be concluded?
The fault is the same age as the layers it cuts through, and the same age as the layers above it.
The fault is younger than the layers it cuts through, and younger than the layers above it.
The fault is younger than the layers it cuts through, but older than the layers above it.
The fault is older than the layers it cuts through, but younger than the layers above it.
The geologic map below shows several rock formations exposed when a road is cut through a hillside.
Which formation in this geological map is youngest?
1
2
3
4
What improves an organism's chances for being preserved as a fossil?
hard shell or bones
carbon
muscles
lungs
What eon, era, period, and epoch are we currently living?
Phanerozoic eon, Cenozoic era, Quaternary period, and Holocene epoch
Precambrian eon, Mesozoic era, Quaternary period, Eocene epoch
Archean eon, Cenozoic era, Jurassic period, Holocene epoch
Phanerozoic eon, Cenozoic era, Tertiary period, Holocene epoch
What is the best choice for an index fossil?
fern
ammonite
trilobite
crinoid
Ferns, such as the one in the picture, can be found today. They are usually found growing in warmer climates. However, fossils of ferns have been found in places with cold climates where it often snows today. What can we conclude about the places where the fossils of ferns have been found?
Ferns used to live in cold climates.
These places once had a warmer climate.
These places once had a colder climate.
Someone tried to grow ferns in cold climates.
Gases in both Earth's atmosphere and oceans have changed over its history. Scientists noted oxygen spikes in both the oceans and the atmosphere that coincide with changes in species on Earth. They report that the first oxygen spike resulted in a change from the microscopic life forms of 635 million years ago to large algae around 551 million years ago. A second oxygen spike occurring around 550 and 542 million years ago, according to the fossil records, resulted in an increase in
life to land.
marine animals.
mammal species.
vascular plants.
The fossil record provides evidence of what types of plant and animals lived, how long they lived, how they died, and changed. It also tells us about Earth’s early environment, and how it changed. What can scientists infer about a specific period of Earth's history if many fossils were discovered from oxygen-breathing organisms?
the atmosphere lacked oxygen
only fish lived during that time
the atmosphere had lots of oxygen
the dinosaurs used all the oxygen
According to the fossil record above, during which era did mammals first appear?
Cenozoic
Mesozoic
Paleozoic
Modern Day
Shale rock was found on the top layer of a limestone sample. There is a leaf imprint on the shale rock and a fish fossil on the limestone. What can scientists learn from the imprint and fossil?
The area was once a desert with palm trees.
The area has always been land with trees.
The area changed from land with trees to water.
The area changed from water to land with trees.
Scientists use a basic principle called the Law of Superposition to determine the relative age of a layer of sedimentary rock. The Law of Superposition states that undisturbed rock layers are older than the layers above it and younger than the layers below it. Which of these statements is supported by the fossil evidence provided?
Animals with bony skeletons emerged at layer 3 and continued to appear in newer layers.
Life in layer 1 was the most complex
The diversity of life forms decreased over time.
Animals existed in the earliest fossil record and then became extinct.
The Law of Superposition is part of a method of dating rocks and fossils called relative dating. Which of these statements is NOT true of relative dating?
Relative dating uses the sequence of rock layers to establish age.
Relative dating often uses index fossils to establish ages of layers.
Relative dating gives an estimate of age based on the relationship between layers.
Relative dating depends on the use of radioactive isotopes to give exact ages of layers.
Based on your answer for question #1, which of these best describes layers 1-5 versus layers 7-12?
layers 1-5 are older and aquatic and layers 7-12 are younger and terrestrial
layers 1-5 are older and terrestrial and layers 7-12 are younger and aquatic
layers 1-5 are younger and aquatic and layers 7-12 are older and terrestrial
layers 1-5 are younger and terrestrial and layers 7-12 are older and aquatic
Index fossils help scientists estimate the age of a rock because index fossil species only existed for a relatively short time. What happened to the species that are now used as index fossils.
They became extinct.
They changed their diets.
They hid in marine sediments.
They migrated to new enviroments.
Fossilized coral reefs, fish, and other warm water marine creatures have been found in mountainous regions of New England. Which of the following best explains how this could have occurred.
The climate and geology of this area have changed over time.
These creatures were better adapted to cold climates at one time.
The process of fossilization greatly changed the original material.
Scavengers carried the remains of these creatures to higher regions.
In the history of Earth, which of the following occurred first.
humans appeared
bacteria evolved
dinosaurs became extinct
invertebrates such as trilobites evolved
A scientist goes to an undisturbed field and begins digging. She finds a leg bone of Dinosaur A about 12 feet below the surface. She keeps digging and then finds a jaw bone of Dinosaur B about 27 feet below the surface. Based on this information, which is the MOST likely.
Dinosaur A lived before Dinosaur B
Dinosaur B lived before Dinosaur A
both dinosaurs are from the same period
no conclusion can be made
Which of the following describes the natural history of Earth's climate?
Earth has remained exactly the same temperature until humans burned fossil fuels.
Earth has experienced huge changes in temperature including many ice ages and warm periods.
Earth has slowly been warming since Precambrian times.
Earth's temperature has fluctuated very little over billions of years.
Fossils provide evidence for all of the following EXCEPT for
Changes in Earths's surface
How enviroments on Earth have changed over time
How Earth originally formed
How groups of organisms have changed over time
Most of the oxygen in Earth's early atmosphere would have come from
photosynthesis in primitive plants
decaying primitive plants and animals
volcanic eruptions
lightning striking Earth
Which of the following is the most reasonable conclusion when fossils of crinoids and trilobites are found in the same layers of rock?
Crinoids were prey for trilobites
Crinoids were ancestors of trilobites
Crinoids and trilobites had similar behaviors
Crinoids and trilobites lived at the same time
