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Unit 4, Lesson 1- Exploration 1- Fossils & Sedimentary Rock

Total questions: 18

Worksheet time: 1hrs 19mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Put the layers in order from oldest to youngest/newest

a)

conglomerate

b)

sandstone

c)

limestone

d)

siltstone

e)

mudstone

1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
2.

Most fossils form from

a)

the muscles and organs of the animals body

b)

the bones, horns and teeth of an animal

c)

the skin of an animal

d)

the fur of an animal

3.

Dinosaur tracks preserved in rock are an example of

a)

trace fossils

b)

true form fossils

c)

mold fossils

d)

cast fossils

4.
You find shark tooth and fish fossils in an area that is now a forrest. What can you infer about the history of this place?
a)
The area was once a valley
b)
The area was once a desert
c)
The area was once covered in ice
d)
The area was once an ocean
5.
Which is not true about fossils?
a)
fossils are only animals remains
b)
fossils show the history of Earth
c)
Fossils can be found in sedimentary rock layers
d)
fossils can be traces of organisms footprints and body structure
6.

A scientist is studying trace fossils of an early mammal. Which type of information can be learned from studying trace fossils?

a)

how many teeth the mammal had

b)

he structure of the mammal’s skeleton

c)

information about the behavior of the mammal

d)

how the mammal is genetically related to modern mammals

7.

Which of the following would make the best index fossil?

a)

An insect that only existed in one small forest for about 100 million years.

b)

An aquatic animal that existed all over the world for about 10 million years.

c)

A single-celled organism that lived in a widespread region for about 10 million years.

d)

A plant species that lived in a specific geographic region for about 5 million years.

8.
Which is NOT a factor that affects fossilization? 
a)
age of the organism
b)
hard or soft body parts
c)
predators destroying the body
d)

body decay due to natural elements

9.

An archaeologist is digging through the rock layers and finds an index fossil in Layer B.

This fossil will help her do which of the following?

a)

determine the minerals found in Layer B

b)

determine the age of the rock in Layer B

c)

determine the type of rock in Layer B

d)

determine the thickness of Layer B

10.
An organism is UNLIKELY to be preserved as a fossil if
a)
it has a shell
b)
it has a skeleton
c)
it is a soft-bodied creature
d)
it is buried soon after death
11.

What letter would make the best index fossil? (outcrop is rock layers that are exposed to surface)

a)

X

b)

Z

c)

Y

d)

W

12.

Which of the following would be the LEAST likely/hardest to determine information we can learn from fossils?

a)

how animals communicated with each other

b)

how the environment has changed

c)

how species have changed

d)

extinct species

13.
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?
a)
Ferns used to live in cold climates.
b)
These places once had a warmer climate.
c)
These places once had a colder climate.
d)
Someone tried to grow ferns in cold climates. 
14.

The Geologic time scale is subdivided into 4 groups. Which of the following lists them from largest/longest to smallest/shortest?

a)

Eons, periods, epochs, eras

b)

Eras, eon, periods, epochs

c)

Eons, eras, periods, epochs

d)

Epochs, periods, eras, eons

15.

Which layer of rock was deposited first?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

d)

D

16.

Which fossil is a replica of the original shape of the organism (it forms by mineralized sediment that fills in an impression/spaqce left by organism)?

a)
cast
b)
mold
c)
trace
d)
preserved remains
17.

If you found an index fossil in a layer of rock in Montana and a similar fossil in a layer of rock in Texas, you would know that:

a)

the fossils and rock layers are the same age

b)

the fossils from Montana are older

c)

the fossils from England are older

d)

none of the above

18.

What is the best reason that fossil #4 is NOT a good index fossil?

a)

It is not widespread

b)

it is not short-lived (in numerous layers)

c)

It is in half of the outcrops