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Earth's History

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 13mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Index fossils are from widespread species that lived:

a)

only recently

b)

only in water

c)

for a short time

d)

only on land

2.

Fossils provide good evidence for all of the following EXCEPT:

a)

changes in Earth's surface

b)

how Earth originally formed

c)

how environments on Earth have changed over time

d)

How groups of organisms have changed over time

3.

Index fossils are useful because they tell the __________ of the rock layers in which they occur.

a)

absolute age

b)

apparent age

c)

relative age

d)

temporary age

4.

Lava that hardens on Earth's surface is called a(n) ______________________.

a)

unconformity

b)

extrusion

c)

intrusion

d)

superposition

5.

Fossils may form when dead organisms are _________.

a)

buried slowly

b)

exposed to microorganisms

c)

made of hard parts, such as bones, shells, and teeth

d)

composed of soft parts, such as muscles and tissues

6.

A fault can be used to find the __________________of a group of rocks.

a)

absolute age

b)

radiometric age

c)

indexed age

d)

relative age

7.

The footprints in the image is an example of what type of fossil?

a)

original remains

b)

petrified remains

c)

trace fossil

d)

mold / cast

e)

carbon film

8.

What type of fossil is in the image below? (Hint: this is an IMPRINT in the stone.)

a)

original remains

b)

petrified remains

c)

trace fossil

d)

mold / cast

e)

carbon film

9.

The item in the image used to be a part of a tree, but has been replaced by minerals. What type of fossil is in the image?

a)

original remains

b)

petrified remains

c)

trace fossil

d)

mold / cast

e)

carbon film

10.

A thin layer of an element was left behind by the organism in the fossil. What type of fossil is in the image?

a)

original remains

b)

petrified remains

c)

trace fossil

d)

mold / cast

e)

carbon film

11.

The insect has been trapped in amber. What type of fossil is in the image?

a)

original remains

b)

petrified remains

c)

trace fossil

d)

mold / cast

e)

carbon film

12.

What role do faults play in the Law of Superposition?

a)

Faults create new types of rock.

b)

Faults are younger than the layers they cut through.

c)

Faults are the same age as the layers they cut through.

d)

Faults are older than the layers they cut through.

13.
Geologists studied fossils taken from the top of a mountain. The chart lists several fossils taken from this location as well as their original habitat.What can be concluded based on the fossil evidence?
a)
The mountain climate was once much warmer than it is today.
b)
The mountain climate was once much colder than it is today.
c)
The mountain was covered by water at some point in the past.
d)
The elevation in the area was much higher at some point in the past.
14.
Which layer formed first?
a)
Rock Layer W
b)
Rock Layer X
c)
Rock Layer Y
d)
Rock Layer Z
15.
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
16.

The type of Earth material most likely to contain fossils is:

a)

igneous rock

b)

metamorphic rock

c)

sedimentary rock

d)

native material

17.

Scientists find dinosaur fossils in the bottom rock layers of a cliff and mammal fossils in the middle rock layer of the cliff. Which could best be concluded from this evidence?

a)

Dinosaurs ate plants.

b)

Dinosaurs were eaten by the mammals.

c)

Dinosaurs lived on Earth before the mammals.

d)

Dinosaurs and mammals lived at the same time.

18.

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?

a)

Soft parts of the fish will decay more quickly in the water.

b)

Sediments in the water will quickly cover the fish

c)

Scavengers in the water will eat the remains of the fish.

d)

Currents in the water will move the fish.

19.

What are strata?

a)

inconsistencies in the fossil record

b)

rock layers

c)

well-known and widespread fossils

d)

units of time

20.

This trilobite fossil is 289 million years old. This is an example of

a)

absolute age

b)

relative age

c)

temporary age

d)

uniform age

21.

Use the image to determine which material is older.

a)

tan sandstone

b)

brown sandstone

22.

Use the image to determine which material is older.

a)

snail fossil

b)

dinosaur bone

23.

Use the image to determine which material is older.

a)

granite intrusion

b)

gray shale

24.

Use the image to determine which material is older.

a)

tan limestone

b)

tan sandstone

25.

Use the image to determine which material is older.

a)

dinosaur bone

b)

red sandstone