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History of Life on Earth

Total questions: 17

Worksheet time: 9mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

This picture is an example of a ...

a)

body fossil

b)

trace fossil

c)

permineralized fossil

d)

cast/mold fossil

2.

I was out fossil hunting and was lucky enough to find a fossil. Based on the geologic column, about how old would you expect my fossil to be?

a)

25 million years (mya)

b)

50 million years (mya)

c)

75 million years (mya)

d)

100 million years (mya)

3.

The series of time divisions that mark Earth's long history.

a)

Index fossil

b)

Fossil record

c)

Geologic column

d)

Geologic timescale

4.

A process that determines the exact age of a rock layer based on comparing the amounts of unstable, radioactive particles to stable particles.

a)

relative age dating

b)

index fossils

c)

geologic timescale

d)

radiometric dating

5.

Which mass extinction took place towards the end of the Paleozoic era?

a)

dragons

b)

The Permian extinction.

c)

rhinos

6.

How long ago did the dinosaurs become extinct?

a)

a century ago

b)

60 mya

c)

Dinosaurs became extinct 65 mya.

7.

Relative Dating is:

a)

Uses the radioactive material in rocks to determine when rocks were formed or the age of the rock. The radioactive elements in rocks decay slowly over time – known as radioactive decay.

b)

Looks at the comparative depths of fossils in rock to ascertain which are oldest and which are most recent.

8.
Which of the following describes what the first life form resembled?
a)
Eukaryotes
b)
Plants
c)
Bacteria
d)
Fungi
9.
Cells without a nucleus are said to be _____________________.
a)
Eukaryotic
b)
Prokaryotic
10.
What gas was necessary for complex (eukaryotic) life to evolve?
a)
Carbon dioxide
b)
Oxygen
c)
Dihydrogen monoxide
d)
Methane
11.

What group of organisms replaced dinosaurs after their extinction?

a)

Insects

b)

Mammals

c)

Amphibians

d)

Squids

12.

The age of birds and mammals is the ___________ era.

a)

Paleozoic

b)

Mesozoic

c)

Cenozoic

13.

Early mammals were ___________ and ___________.

a)

large, diurnal

b)

large, nocturnal

c)

small, nocturnal

d)

small, diurnal

14.

The history of planet Earth is subdivided into several eras, marked by the life at the time. Which era contained ONLY prokaryotic forms of life?

a)

Pre-cambrian

b)

Palezoic

c)

Mesozoic

d)

Cenozoic

15.

A scientist who studies fossils is called a ...?

a)

Forensic scientist

b)

Rock scientist

c)

Geologist

d)

Paleontologist

16.
A radioisotope's _________________ is the time it takes for one half of the mass of the radioisotope to change into another substance.
a)
half-twist
b)
day-life
c)
half-life
d)
change over
17.

True or False: Evidence from the fossil record shows that species change gradually over time.

a)

True

b)

False