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History of Earth

Total questions: 33

Worksheet time: 32mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of the following orders the rock layers accurately from oldest to youngest?

a)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

b)

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

c)

2, 3, 4, 5, 1

d)

1, 2, 3, 5, 4

2.

Look at the diagram, what layer did animal E first show up in?

a)

Layer #4

b)

Layer #5

c)

Layer #6

d)

Layer #8

3.
Which rock layer most likely contains fossils of the most recently evolved organisms?
a)
4
b)
3
c)
1
d)
2
4.

Chronological record of all fossils ever found

a)

Law of Superposition

b)

Evolution

c)

Fossil Record

d)

Geologic Time

5.

This states that in sedimentary rock layers the oldest layer is at the bottom and each higher layer is younger than the layers below it

a)

Law of Gravity

b)

Law of Superman

c)

Law of Superposition

d)

Index Fossil

6.

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

a)

True

b)

False

7.

How do most fossils form?

a)

An insect becomes trapped in amber.

b)

An entire organism becomes frozen in ice.

c)

A dead organism becomes buried in sediment.

d)

A dead organism becomes buried in tar.

8.

What evidence is most important when using relative dating?

a)

the half-life of a radioactive element

b)

the position of sediment in petrified rock

c)

the types of minerals in a petrified fossil

d)

the position of fossils in sedimentary rock layers

9.

If scientists found this fossil, what could they infer?

a)

what fish are like today

b)

that this fish lacked oxygen

c)

that water once covered the area where this fossil was found

10.
What event marks the end of each geologic area?
a)
1 million years
b)
burst of new life forms
c)
mass extinction
d)
ice age
11.

What are fossils that are abundant, easily recognizable, short lived, and widespread called?

a)

Preserved fossils

b)

Index fossils

c)

Imprints

d)

Radioactive dating

12.

Which fossil would make the best index fossil?

a)

Beetle

b)

Flower

c)

Frog

d)

Fish

13.

What two methods are used for determining the age of rocks and fossils?

a)

Relative and Absolute Dating

b)

Carbon and Water Dating

c)

Sedimentary and Igneous Rocks

d)

Spatial and Layered Dating

14.
Which period are we currently in?
a)
Quaternary
b)
Holocene
c)
Jurassic
d)
Tertiary
15.
Paleontologists infer that the earth is approximately how many years old?
a)
4.5 million years
b)
450 million years
c)
450 billion years
d)
4.5 billion years
16.

Use the diagram to answer. Which rock layer has a fossil that is older than the fish fossil?

a)

A

b)

B

c)

C

d)

D

17.

The Death of every member of a species

a)

extinction

b)

Paleozoic era

c)

relative age

d)

Permian extinction

18.

a historical sequence of life indicated by fossils found in layers of Earth's crust

a)

fossil

b)

geologic time scale

c)

species

d)

fossil record

19.

______________ is the breaking down of rock material by physical and chemical processes. 

a)

Weathering

b)

Erosion

c)

Deposition

d)

Sedimentary Exchange

20.

Which one of the examples below is physical weathering?

a)

lichens growing on rock

b)

acid rain wearing away limestone

c)

oxidation (rusting) of a flag pole

d)

frost wedging splitting a rock apart

21.

Which of these terms describes the process of acid rain wearing out limestone?

a)

deposition

b)

chemical weathering

c)

physical weathering

d)

erosion

22.

Which of these is an example of erosion?

a)

light shining onto a mountain

b)

wind blowing away sediment

c)

rain breaking down rock

d)

all options are correct

23.

In the pictures below, choose a picture that shows chemical weathering of rock.

a)
b)
c)
d)

24.

In the pictures below, choose a picture that shows biological weathering of rock.

a)
b)
c)
d)

25.

The formation of a cave as water mixed with carbon dioxide creates carbonic acid, which dissolves away the rock, is an example of:

a)

mechanical weathering

b)

chemical weathering

26.

Sand settles on the beach after waves dropped it there. This is an example of...

a)

weathering

b)

erosion

c)

deposition

27.

the part of the erosion process in which sediment travels to a new location and is laid down or DROPPED OFF

a)
chemical weathering
b)
mechanical weathering
c)
erosion
d)
deposition
28.
rock particles wear away rock
a)
mechanical weathering
b)
chemical weathering
c)
erosion
d)
deposition
29.
Canyons are formed by -
a)
earthquakes breaking rock layers apart.
b)
wind smoothing out rock formations.
c)
lava flowing from nearby volcanoes.
d)
rivers carrying sediments that weather and erode land.
30.

Which type of weathering occurs when animals burrow in the ground and DISPLACE soil, rocks and plant roots?

a)

Physical Weathering

b)

Chemical Weathering

31.
Rock made of layers of compressed sediments
a)
metamorphic rock
b)
igneous rock
c)
sedimentary rock
d)
school house rock
32.
Sedimentary rocks may contain fossils.
a)
True
b)
False
33.

Select all the different types of Sedimentary Rock where we find fossils (select more than one):

a)

Limestone

b)

Basalt

c)

Mudstone

d)

Shale