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Patterns of Life and Change on Earth

Total questions: 28

Worksheet time: 9mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
True or false: All once-living organisms left behind fossils.
a)
True.
b)
False.
2.

The gradual change in living things over time is..

a)

transition

b)

evolution

c)

age

d)

revolution

3.

Most fossils form when living things die and are buried by _______________ that hardens into rock over time.

a)

sediment

b)

people

c)

cement

d)

ants

4.

What type of fossils provide evidence of the activities of ancient organisms?

a)

molds and casts

b)

petrified fossils

c)

trace fossils

d)

carbon films

5.

An organism is ______________ if it no longer exits and will never live again on Earth.

a)

rare

b)

extinct

c)

plentiful

d)

missing

6.

A ______________________ is a scientist who studies fossils.

a)

biologist

b)

chemist

c)

paleontologist

d)

astronomer

7.

Scientist study the ____________________ to learn about the history of life, past environments on Earth, and how different groups of organisms have changed over time.

a)

fossil record

b)

animal record

c)

historical record

d)

Earth record

8.

If a scientist found a fish fossil in the desert, what can they infer?

a)

An animal ate the fish.

b)

The water covered the area long ago.

c)

Today's fish looks the same

d)

The fish is endangered.

9.

What needs to happen FIRST for a fossil to form?

a)

A plant or animal must be covered by sediment.

b)

A plant or animal must die and decompose.

c)

Sediments fill a a mold to form a cast.

d)

An earthquake shifts the land up.

10.
The diagram shows layers of sedimentary rock and examples of the fossils each layer contains, Which layer contains the oldest fossils? 
a)
A. Layer 2
b)
B. Layer 4
c)
C. Layer 1
d)
D. Layer 3
11.
Which fossil layer is the youngest? 
a)
A. Layer A
b)
B. Layer B
c)
C. Layer C
d)
D. Layer D
12.

What can fossils tell us about the past? (check all that apply)

a)

Which organisms used to live on Earth and what they looked like

b)

How the environment has changed

c)

How organisms alive today have changed and adapted over time

d)

How to make a taco

13.

What does the Law of Superposition tell us?

a)

The most superior rock is the top layer of rock

b)

The oldest rock is the most top layer of rock

c)

The youngest rock is the most top layer of rock

d)

The strongest rock is the most top layer of rock

14.

Which of these can often cause extinction of a species? Check all that apply.

a)

Disease

b)

Over-hunting

c)

Invasive Species

d)

Loss of habitat

e)

Lack of food resources

15.
Method by which a geologist can calculate the absolute age of the rock by knowing the half-life of an isotope 
a)
radiometric dating
b)
relative dating
c)
absolute dating
16.

The period of geologic time when the biodiversity of life on the planet increased dramatically was

a)

Jurassic

b)

Triassic

c)

Permian

d)

Cambrian

17.

There have been how many major extinction events on planet Earth?

a)

3

b)

4

c)

5

d)

2

18.

When did this creature live?

a)

Triassic-Jurassic

b)

Jurassic-Silurian

c)

Cretaceous-Tertiary

d)

Eocene-Oligocene

19.

The period when trilobites and eurypterids appeared was the

a)

Hadean

b)

Cambrian

c)

Holocene

d)

Jurassic

20.

Which evidence show patterns of change in organisms from early life to modern life?

a)

homologous structures

b)

transitional fossils

c)

vestigial structures

d)

proteins

21.
As time goes on, specimens in the fossil record become more _________.
a)
confusing
b)
common
c)
complex
d)
simple
22.
Tikaalik is a famous example of a _________ fossil.
a)
cast
b)
transitional
c)
mold
d)
imprint
23.
________ were believed to have once walked on land.
a)
Fish
b)
Whales
c)
Mammals
d)
Bacteria
24.
Which of these describes a species that has become extinct?
a)
fewer members of the species are dying than being born
b)
more members of the species are dying than being born
c)
very few members of a species are alive
d)
all members of a species have died
25.

When scientists discuss the Sixth Extinction, they are referring to which pattern in the rate of extinction?

a)

an increased rate caused by human activity

b)

an increased rate caused by volcanic activity

c)

a fluctuating rate caused by human activity

d)

a fluctuating rate caused by volcanic activity

26.
What is a mass extinction?
a)
When all the species in a particular area on earth suddenly go extinct
b)
When multiple species from all over the earth suddenly go extinct 
c)
When one species goes extinct due to habitat changes
d)
When all life on earth is wiped out 
27.

What classifies a mass extinction?

a)

Only 5% of species go extinct.

b)

Massive flooding due to hurricanes.

c)

Happens in a relatively short period of time and is global

d)

There have never been any mass extinctions on Earth.

28.

Which of the following mass extinctions occurred first?

a)

Ordovician-Silurian

b)

End Permian

c)

Late Devonian

d)

Cambrian