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WorksheetsThe Fossil Record (Quiz)
Total questions: 12
Worksheet time: 17mins
Alex listed the typical steps of fossil formation.
1) An organism dies. 2) The remains fall to the bottom of the ocean. 3) The soft portions decay, and the hard portions remain. 4) The sediment becomes rock.
Which statement describes the missing step?
After step 3, layers of sediment cover the dead organism.
After step 1, minerals dissolve the dead organism.
After step 4, layers of sediment cover the dead organism.
After step 2, minerals dissolve the dead organism.
How much time is needed to form most fossils?
a few months
a few years
hundreds of years
millions of years
Which condition is necessary for a mold fossil to form?
The fossil must be preserved in amber.
Minerals must replace the remains.
Hard parts of the organism must dissolve.
The mold must be filled with sediment.
Hard parts of the organism must dissolve. Which label belongs in the area marked Z?
Involves minerals replacing remains of organism
Gives evidence of organism’s activity
Takes millions of years to form
Forms as sediment hardens
The diagram shows two different types of fossils from the same kind of ancient organism. Which labels complete the diagram?
X: mold
Y: cast
X: cast
Y: mold
X: trace
Y: imprint
X: imprint
Y: trace
_________ dating is the process of putting events or fossils in order from oldest to youngest without using actual dates.
Relative
Absolute
The diagram shows fossils buried in layers of sediment. Which statement is supported by the information in the diagram?
The fossil in layer Z is the youngest.
The fossils in layers Y and Z are younger than the fossil in layer V.
The fossil in layer Y is older than the fossil in layer W.
The fossil in layer X is older than the fossil in layer Z.
The diagram shows fossils buried in layers of rock. Which conclusion is best supported by the diagram?
Trilobites and gastropods are the youngest fossils.
Crinoids and gastropods have lived during the same time period.
Ferns have existed for a longer period of time than coral.
Every ammonite fossil is older than the gastropod fossils.
Compared to absolute dating, what is an advantage of relative dating?
A single fossil can be dated by itself.
The actual age of a fossil can be determined.
Fossils do not need to be arranged in different layers of rock.
There is no limit to the age range of the fossils being dated.
Absolute dating relies on _________ elements, which are unstable elements that release energy as they break down.
Metallic
Radioactive
Noble Gases
Halogen
According to the fossil record, which of these evolved after amphibians?
Mammals
Sponges
Fish
Bacters
Three different reptile skulls with a common ancestor show that the skull changed from having no holes behind the eye to having one hole, and then two holes behind the eye. What conclusion did scientists draw about the reptile?
The skull evolved as the reptile developed stronger jaws.
The reptile evolved from living in water to living on land.
The reptiles were different ages when they died.
The reptile was never properly preserved during fossil formation.
