WorksheetsEarth History Practice Test
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 41mins
How do petrified fossils form?
An organism is trapped in ice that remains frozen for thousands of years.
Sediment fills an organism's footprints and turns to rock.
An organism's remains are preserved without being changed.
Minerals soak into and completely replace an organism's remains.
The diagram below represents a stack of rock layers. These layers have not changed position since they formed. If the age of layer 4 is 400 million years and the age of layer 1 is 500 million years, then the age of Layer 2 is
younger than 400 million years.
400 million years.
older than 500 million years.
between 400 million and 500 million years.
An index fossil represents a species that lived during
several intervals of Earth's history.
Earth's entire history.
a short interval of Earth's history.
a long interval of Earth's history.
Which statement about the movement of Earth's crust along a fault line is true?
Only horizontal, side-to-side movement occurs along faults.
Only vertical, up-and-down movement occurs along faults.
Different types of movement occur along different types of faults.
Crustal movement does not occur along fault lines.
Which of the following events occurred last to produce this rock column?
layer A was deposited
layer B was deposited
layer C was deposited
igneous intrusion D cross-cut layers
fault E offset existing layers
Which of the following is a list of Earth's geologic eras from most ancient to most recent?
Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic, Precambrian
Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic
Precambrian, Mesozoic, Paleozoic, Cenozoic
Paleozoic, Precambrian, Mesozoic, Cenozoic
If scientists find an ice core from 30,000 years ago that contains chemicals radically different than the chemicals that are around today, they would likely conclude that...
these chemicals are abundant today.
the atmosphere 30,000 years ago was different than our atmosphere today.
the number of layers they counted in the ice core was incorrect.
the atmosphere never changes its composition.
According to the law of superposition, younger layers of rock are generally found above older layers of rock. However, there are locations where older layers are found above younger layers. Which of the following can cause this to happen?
Rock layers can overturn as they are folded.
During uplift, rock layers can tilt enough to overturn.
Older rock layers can slide above younger rock layers along faults.
all of these
When examining a rock sample, which of the following is the best method for determining its exact age?
applying the law of superposition
relative dating
radiometric (radioactive) dating
index fossil identification
In states along the Gulf of Mexico, fossilized seashells from millions of years ago are often found on land many kilometers from the shore. These fossils are evidence that
the Gulf shoreline was farther inland in the past.
seashells are formed by land creatures.
the Gulf shoreline was farther out to sea in the past.
the Gulf shoreline's location has not changed.
A geologist identifies the identical index fossils in rock layers from two different areas. Which conclusion is best supported by this discovery?
The deposition rate of the two rock layers was identical
The fossil organism evolved independently in the two separate areas
The two rock layers were deposited at approximately the same time
The index fossil will also occur in sediment deposited on top of these rock layers
Which is the most accurate method scientists use to predict the age of Earth?
relative dating of rock layers
radioactive dating of rocks
comparing the ages of different fossils
investigating core samples from the Arctic
Which is the best reason for scientists to study ice cores obtained from Earth’s ice caps?
to evaluate potential oil drilling sites
to study the quality of water stored in glaciers
to determine the rate of melting in polar regions
to study past climates by analyzing trapped gases and particles
Which allows scientists to investigate what Earth’s climate was like over the past 740,000 years?
volcanic deposits
fossils
faults
ice cores
Which lists the rock layers and fault in order from oldest to youngest?
A. Q, R, S, T, V
Q, V, R, S, T
T, S, V, R, Q
V, T, S, R, Q
What technological process has been used by scientists to determine that the age of the Earth is about 4.6 billion years old?
A geologist identifies the identical index fossils in rock layers from two different areas. Which conclusion is best supported by this discovery?
The deposition rate of the two rock layers was identical.
The fossil organism evolved independently in the two separate areas.
The two rock layers were deposited at approximately the same time.
The index fossil will also occur in sediment deposited on top of these rock layers.
Which statement best describes the Law of Superposition?
Each sedimentary layer of rock represents 1,000 years of Earth’s age, much like the rings of a tree.
In undisturbed layers of sedimentary rock, the upper rock layers are older than the lower rock layers.
In undisturbed layers of sedimentary rock, the lowest layers contain the older rocks.
Rocks that form near volcanoes are older than surrounding rock.
What kind of rock are fossils found in?
intrusive igneous
extrusive igneous
metamorphic
sedimentary
What event marks the end of a geologic era?
1 million years
mass extinction
new life forms
ice age
The relative age of a rock is
The number of years since the rock formed
Less than the age of the fossils the rock contains
Its age based on how much carbon-14 the rock contains
Its age compared with the ages of rock layers around it
Carbon-14 is involved in which type of dating?
absolute
igneous
metamorphic
relative
Which of the following eras is known as the "Age of Mammals"?
Precambrian
Paleozoic
Mesozoic
Cenozoic
What is the intrusion layer in this picture?
A
B
D
E
This type of fossil is tree sap hardened and replaced by minerals.
Petrified wood
Imprint
Amber
Mold
Fossils can be divided into two categories, fossilized ____________ parts (bones, claws, teeth, skin, embryos, etc.) and fossilized ________, (which are footprints, nests, dung, tooth marks, etc.),
Traces, Body
Human, Animal
Body, Traces
Body, Animal
How long ago did the Earth form?
4,600 years ago
460,000 years ago
4.6 billion years ago
Which came first in Geologic Time?
Cenozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
Precambrian Time
During which time segment of the Geologic Time Scale did fish first appear?
Cenozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
Precambrian Time
During which time segment of the Geologic Time Scale did dinosaurs live?
Cenozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Paleozoic Era
Precambrian Time
According to the fossil record, which evolved first?
vertebrates
invertebrates
the evolved at the same time
Mass extinctions occurred at the end of both the ______________ and the _______________ Eras.
Paleozoic and Cenozoic
Cenozoic and Mesozoic
Paleozoic and Mesozoic
None of the above
Approximately 3.8 billion years ago what first appeared on Earth?
Whales
Water
Wasps
Pangaea formed near the end of the Paleozoic Era. What was Pangaea?
a species of lemur
a lake in Brazil
a giant landmass of continents
Which term is defined as the age of a rock given as the number of years since the rock formed?
Relative Age
Geology
Absolute Age
Law of Superposition
Which of the following is a radioactive isotope of the element Carbon that is used in radiometric dating?
Parent Isoptope
Uniformatarianism
Carbon-14
Half-Life
Which of the following is defined as an isotope that undergoes decay that produces a daughter. For example, U-92 decays to form thorium-90.
Half-life
Radiometric Dating
Geology
Parent Isotope
Which of the following terms is defined as the length of time needed for half of the atoms of a sample of radioactive isotope to decay?
Absolute Age
Half-life
Parent Isotope
Relative Age
Which of the following is defined as the breakdown of a radioactive element releasing particles and energy
Radiometric Dating
Half LIfe
Law of Superpostion
Radioactive Decay
Which is defined as the geologic principle that states the same geologic processes that operate today operated in the past to
Law of Superpostion
Relative Dating
Geology
Law of Uniformitarianism
