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Fossil Record

Total questions: 35

Worksheet time: 28mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

If you know the age of a fossil, you know the relative age of the ________________ it was found inside.

a)

sticky tar

b)

rock

c)

amber

d)

ice

2.

If you know the age of a rock, you know the relative age of the _________________ that was found inside.

a)

sticky tar

b)

fossil

c)

amber

d)

ice

3.

Geologists use radioactive dating to..

a)

determine the relative ages of rock layers.

b)

tell the difference between molds and casts.

c)

tell where one soil horizon ends and the next one begins.

d)

determine the absolute ages of rocks.

4.

What are the oldest fossils and why?

a)

B, C- because they are closest to the top

b)

A, B- because they are closest to the bottom

c)

They are all the same age- because they are all found on layer 2

d)

A, B- because they are found closest to the top

5.
Which layer formed first?
a)
Rock Layer W
b)
Rock Layer X
c)
Rock Layer Y
d)
Rock Layer Z
6.
According to the law of superposition, which layer is the youngest?
a)
A
b)
B
c)
C
7.

In which kind of rock do we usually find a fossil?

a)

sedimentary rock

b)

metamorphic rock

c)

igneous rock

8.

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

9.

Fossils of fish are found under land where cows now live. What does this tell you?

a)

the fish were dropped their by flying birds

b)

this land was once under the ocean

c)

fish used to live on land

10.

Fossils are proof of ___________.

a)

Evolution

b)

A Higher Power

c)

Physics

d)

Newtons 2nd Law

11.
What is chronological order?
a)
When organisms are descended from a single ancestor
b)
The quality or state of having many different forms
c)
The arrangement of things in the order which they occurred
d)
Layers of rock that are successfully deposited on top of each other and are distinguishable
12.
What is extinction?
a)
When a species no longer exists
b)
The quality or state of having many different forms
c)
The arrangement of things in the order which they occurred
d)
Layers of rock that are successfully deposited on top of each other and are distinguishable
13.

The mineralized remains of organisms, showing how long-dead organisms lived and how their bodies were structured

a)

Diversity

b)

Endangered

c)

Fossils

d)

Crude Oil

14.

Why do you think there are not fossil for every organism that has every lived?

a)

Many organisms decompose too quickly to become fossils

b)

They do, the fossils are just destroyed

c)

Some plants and animals do not have carbon in them

d)

Many organisms are too large to form fossils

15.
What is diversity?
a)
When organisms are descended from a single ancestor
b)
The quality or state of having many different forms
c)
The arrangement of things in the order which they occurred
d)
Layers of rock that are successfully deposited on top of each other and are distinguishable
16.

Layers of rock that are successively deposited on top of one another and are distinguishable from one another based on their mineral contents

a)

Extinction

b)

Petrification

c)

Glacial Period

d)

Sedimentary Layers

17.

The formation of fossils as stone replaces decaying tissues

a)

Extinction

b)

Petrification

c)

Glacial Period

d)

Sedimentary Layers

18.

Scientific law that states fossils located in deeper sediment layers are older than ones deposited in layers closer to the surface

a)

Fossil Record

b)

Law of Superposition

c)

Fossil Fuels

d)

Divergence

19.

The mineralized remains of organisms, showing how long-dead organisms lived and how their bodies were structured

a)

Diversity

b)

Endangered

c)

Fossils

d)

Crude Oil

20.

The mineralized remains of organisms and the rock layers in which they are found that shows when and where long-dead organisms lived and how their bodies were structured

a)

Fossil Record

b)

Law of Superposition

c)

Fossil Fuels

d)

Fossils

21.
Which layer formed first?
a)
Rock Layer W
b)
Rock Layer X
c)
Rock Layer Y
d)
Rock Layer Z
22.

Which of the following can be learned by using the fossil record?

a)

When organisms changed or evolved

b)

when organisms appeared on Earth

c)

when organisms became extinct

d)

All the above

23.
How do fossils provide evidence that evolution has happened on Earth?
a)
Fossils show how the sizes of certain animals has changed drastically over millions of years
b)
Fossils show that some species have gone extinct
c)
Fossils show how life forms present today are different than those from the past
d)
Different sedimentary rock layers provide evidence for how the environment has changed over time
24.

When did fossil A become extinct?

a)

Layer 1

b)

Layer 2

c)

Layer 3

d)

Layer 4

25.

Organisms D and C clearly lived in an aquatic (water) environment. Organism A does not look like it lived in the water. What is the most likely explanation for this?

a)

The fossil in layer A died on land and was carried to the water

b)

The fossils in layer C and D did not live in the same location as the fossil in layer A

c)

The environment changed over a long period of time. It used to be under water, but is not anymore

26.
The millions of fossils that scientists have collected are called
a)
The Geologic Time Scale
b)
The Origin of Species
c)
The Fossil Record
d)
A really neat fossil collection
27.
Which rock layer contains the newest fossils?
a)
F
b)
E
c)
B
d)
C
28.
According to the law of superposition, the oldest fossils are found 
a)
At the top of the rock layers
b)
Near the bottom of the rock layers
c)
In the middle of the rock layers
d)
Somewhat near the surface
29.
Which of the following organisms formed last on Earth?
a)
Jellyfish
b)
Shark
c)
Lizards
d)
Horses
30.

Which of the follow is INCORRECT about an index fossil?

a)

The fossil must have lived only during a short part of the Earth's history.

b)

Many fossils of the organism must be found in the rock layers.

c)

The fossil must be found over a wide area of the Earth and be unique.

d)

The fossil must only be found in one area.

31.
Most fossils form when organisms that die become buried in sediments
a)
True
b)
False
32.
In layers of sedimentary rock, the _________ layer is usually at the bottom. Each higher layer is _________ than the layers below it.
a)
oldest, younger
b)
youngest, older
c)
youngest, younger
d)
oldest, older
33.
How do fossils provide evidence that evolution has happened on Earth?
a)
Fossils show how the sizes of certain animals has changed drastically over millions of years
b)
Fossils show that some species have gone extinct
c)
Fossils show how life forms present today are different than those from the past
d)
Different sedimentary rock layers provide evidence for how the environment has changed over time
34.

Which layer contains the oldest fossil?

a)

Layer 1

b)

Layer 2

c)

Layer 3

d)

Layer 4

35.

Starting at layer H (at the bottom) what pattern do you notice as you move up towards layer B

a)

organisms become more complex

b)

random arrangement of organisms

c)

organisms go from water only to land only

d)

organisms become more simple