wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

NEW

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Fossils- 3rd Grade

Total questions: 31

Worksheet time: 5hrs 10mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Describes a group of living things that are no longer living.

a)

fossil

b)

extinct

c)

endangered

d)

dinosaur

2.

The preserved remains of a living thing that died long ago.

a)

fossil

b)

extinct

c)

endangered

d)

minerals

3.

Why are there more animal fossils than plant fossils?

a)

Animals are smaller than plants.

b)

Plants are harder than animals.

c)

Plants are softer than animals.

d)

Animals eat plants.

4.

Which type of fossil would look just like the body part of a once-living thing?

a)

mineral

b)

footprint

c)

cast

d)

petrified wood

5.

Which is a trace fossil?

a)

bone

b)

a cast

c)

an animal track/footprint

d)

amber fossil

6.

Which type of rock are most fossils found?

a)

sedimentary rock

b)

metamorphic rock

c)

igneous rock

d)

fossils

7.

An animal has sharp, pointy teeth, what can we infer about this animal?

a)

The animal lived in the water

b)

The animal lived near the beach.

c)

The animal is a carnivore.

d)

The animal only ate plants.

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 statement is true about fossils?

a)

All living organisms leave behind fossils.

b)

Fossils show that animals have never changed.

c)

Some living things have not really changed in millions of years.

d)

Plant fossils show that plants have never changed.

10.

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.

11.

Which of these animals is extinct?

a)

Camel

b)

Rhino

c)

Red Panda

d)

Saber-toothed cat

12.

What replaces the wood of a once-living thing to form petrified wood?

a)

amber

b)

cast

c)

mold

d)

minerals

13.

This type of fossil is tree sap hardened and replaced by minerals.

a)

Petrified wood

b)

Imprint

c)

Amber

d)

Mold

14.

Turtles look much like they did millions of years ago. What can we infer about turtle fossils?

a)

They did not change over time.

b)

The turtle survived the ice age.

c)

Turtles went extinct.

d)

Turtles were never endangered.

15.

What can we infer about animals with dull teeth?

a)

They ate other animals.

b)

They ate only plants.

c)

They ate nothing.

d)

They only ate fish.

16.

Scientists called paleontologists can study fossils to learn about

the ___________.

a)

past

b)

present

c)

future

d)

none of the above

17.

What most likely made this fossil?

a)

Plant

b)

Animal

c)

Footprint

d)

Bone

18.

What most likely made this fossil?

a)

Plant

b)

Animal

c)

Footprint

d)

Bone

19.

A fossil of a fish is found on top of a

mountain. You can argue that the area

was once

a)

underwater

b)

a desert

c)

much colder

d)

much warmer

20.

Over millions of years, trees may become fossilized when they turn into_____

a)

paper

b)

soil

c)

rock

d)

water

21.

Which is a fossil?

a)

bone from a chicken dinner

b)

a live plant

c)

the preserved remains of a plant or animal that lived long ago

d)

a piece of pottery

22.

The body parts of this fossil tell you that this animal _________.

a)

Flew

b)

Hopped

c)

Swam

d)

Crawled

23.

Scientists discovered the fossilized remains of an unidentified animal. They can tell from its remains that it had gills and fins, but no legs. What conclusion about the animal can they draw from the evidence?

a)

It was a land mammal.

b)

It lived in the water all the time.

c)

It had legs that did not fossilize.

d)

It lived in the water and on land.

24.

How did scientists first learn about dinosaurs?

a)

by studying their fossils

b)

by reading about them

c)

by watching movies

d)

by looking at pictures

25.

What must happen to an organism's body for it to become a fossil?

a)

It must remain above ground.

b)

It must dry out in the sunlight.

c)

It must be buried right after death.

d)

It must be eaten by other animals.

26.

Where are most fossils formed?

a)

near volcanoes, because the high heat of the lava helps to form fossils

b)

in glaciers, because fossils are created when an organism is frozen quickly

c)

in sedimentary rock, because being buried in sediment helps to form fossils

d)

near earthquakes, because the shaking ground traps organisms to create fossils

27.

Which type of scientist studies life that existed

long ago, mostly by studying fossils?

a)

biologist

b)

zoologist

c)

botanist

d)

paleontologist

28.

The picture shows a tooth fossil of the extinct

Megalodon shark next to teeth from a great white

shark, which is still found today.


Which of the following best explains the

difference in the size of the teeth?

a)

Sharks were once larger than the sharks that are living today.

b)

The fossilized tooth was filled with water, which made it grow in size.

c)

Sharks alive today do not live long enough to grow very large teeth..

d)

The fossilized tooth had extra sediment around it, which became a part of it

29.

Which feature helps the most to identify the organism as a plant?

a)

size

b)

color

c)

smell

d)

shape

30.

What is the best explanation for the location of the fossil?

a)

This kind of fish was often eaten by land animals.

b)

This kind of fish had once lived on land.

c)

The area used to be filled with water.

d)

The area used to be very cold.

31.

The organism represented in this fossil

a)

fed mostly on fish and algae.

b)

moved by using many tiny legs.

c)

lived in an environment that required a hard shell for protection.

d)

had an internal skeleton that was used to maintain the organism's shape.