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5.9D What Happened Before?

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 11mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

How do scientists learn about dinosaurs?

a)

by studying fossils

b)

by reading about them

c)

by watching movies

d)

by looking at pictures

2.
What is the correct order of the rock layers from oldest to youngest?
a)
F, E, C, B, A, D
b)
A, B, C, D, E, F
c)
F, E, D, C, B, A
d)
D, F, E, C, B, A
3.
Which layer formed first?
a)
Rock Layer W
b)
Rock Layer X
c)
Rock Layer Y
d)
Rock Layer Z
4.
Fossils can provide evidence of how life has changed over time, how Earth's surface has changed, and clues about what past environments were like.
a)
True
b)
False
5.

The diagram above shows layers of sedimentary rock in the Earth’s crust. In which layer of rock should a scientist expect to find the oldest fossils?

a)

Layer M

b)

Layer N

c)

Layer O

d)

Layer P

6.

Fossil trees were discovered in a sedimentary rock layer. In the rock layer below are fossils of clams, similar to clams that are currently found on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Based on this evidence, we could conclude that the area where the fossils were discovered had what sequence of climates in the past?

a)

Beach, followed by a forest

b)

Rocky and dry, then very moist

c)

Forest, and later a mountain

d)

Very cold area, then much warmer

7.

An ancient fossil of a fish was found in a dry area. What does this suggest about how this area used to look?

a)

The land was a dense forest

b)

The land was a dry dessert

c)

There was once water in the area

d)

The fossil was moved because there could not have been water there in the past

8.

The picture shows a rock found in Texas. Which of the following best illustrates that the rock was formed from ocean sediments?

a)

The number of fossils in the rock

b)

The size of the fossils in the rock

c)

The place where the rock was found

d)

The type of fossils in the rock

9.

This rock contains fossils of water plants and shells. What does this tell us about the rock?

a)

The rock contains many living things

b)

The rock needs to be cleaned with water

c)

The rock is heavier than most rocks

d)

The rock was once at the bottom of the sea

10.

This table gives information on different fossils. According to the information on the table, finding which fossil in a region would lead to the conclusion that the area was, long ago, covered with trees?

a)
b)
c)
d)
11.

Finding fossils in an area can help us learn what about that location?

a)

Which places in the region receive the most sunlight

b)

The effect of the climate on the formation of soil

c)

How modern plants and animals interact there

d)

The kinds of organisms that lived there long ago

12.

This table gives information for different kinds of fossils. Finding which kind of fossil would lead to the conclusion that the area where it was found was, long ago, under hundreds of meters of salt water?

a)
b)
c)
d)
13.

The diagram represents the layers found inside a rocky cliff. The rock layers contain fossils. Which of the following layers of rock is most likely the youngest?

a)

The layer containing trilobites.

b)

The layer containing fishes.

c)

The layer containing amphibians.

d)

The layer containing mammals.

14.

Based on the image, what type of environment did this organism live in?

a)

This organism lived in an ocean.

b)

This organism lived in a river.

c)

This organism lived on land.

d)

This organism lived in a lake.

15.

This diagram represents the layers of the earth and fossils found in each layer. Based on the drawing, which imprint is the oldest?

a)

Freshwater clam shells

b)

Fish bones

c)

Fern imprints

d)

Leaf imprints

16.

Which layer of sedimentary rock is the youngest (newest)?

a)

1

b)

2

c)

3

d)

4

17.

What type of environment existing when this imprint of a fern leaf was created?

a)

Desert

b)

Forest

c)

Ocean

d)

Tundra

18.

Which layer of sedimentary rock is the oldest?

a)

1

b)

2

c)

3

d)

4

19.

Most fossils are found in –

a)

frozen rock

b)

igneous rock

c)

sedimentary rock

d)

metamorphic rock

20.

What is a fossil?

a)

The preserved remains of a dead plant or animal found in a rock

b)

Fuels that formed from the decayed remains of plants and animals

c)

A solid natural material that has a crystal form and its own set of properties

d)

A resource that can replace itself in a relatively short period of time