WorksheetsAnalyzing Data About Fossils
Total questions: 1
Worksheet time: 14mins
What aspect of an organism is typically NOT inferred from fossil studies?
Habitat
Energy production
Color
Movement
What are fossils?
Rocks that can be used as fuel
Traces of living things that are preserved in rock
Ancient artifacts created by humans
Minerals that are valuable for their rarity
How are fossils typically buried?
By volcanic eruptions
By layers of sediments
By human activities
By the movement of tectonic plates
What does it mean when it is said that fossils are the same age as the sedimentary rock in which they are found?
The fossils and the rock were formed at the same time
The fossils are older than the rock
The fossils are younger than the rock
The age of the fossils cannot be determined
According to the principle of fossil succession, how are fossils in sedimentary layers organized in terms of age?
Fossils in the uppermost layers are the oldest.
Fossils are randomly distributed with no relation to age.
Fossils in sedimentary layers further down are older than fossils in the uppermost layers.
The age of fossils in sedimentary layers cannot be determined.
Trilobites lived at the bottom of oceans during which time period?
0-300 million years ago (mya)
300-600 million years ago (mya)
600-900 million years ago (mya)
900-1200 million years ago (mya)
As of the current day, do trilobites still exist?
Yes, they are common in the oceans
Yes, but they are rare and endangered
No, they are extinct
No information is provided
If you found a rock with a trilobite fossil in it, what could you say about the age of the rock?
What can geologists infer from studying the grain size in a layer of strata?
The age of the fossils found within the strata
The type of minerals present in the strata
Information about the environment in which the strata formed
The exact location where the strata are found
What does a very thick layer of strata indicate about the environment?
The environment changed frequently
The environment remained stable for a long period
There was a lot of animal activity in the area
The climate was extremely cold
When does a new, different layer of strata typically form?
When there is no change in the environment
When the same types of rocks are deposited
When something changes in the environment
When the layer of strata becomes thin
What types of organisms can be studied by scientists?
Only hard bodied organisms
Only soft bodied organisms
Both soft bodied and hard bodied organisms
Only living organisms
What can scientists do when enough evidence is collected from fossils?
They can only date the fossils
They can reconstruct a fossil
They can ignore the evidence
They can only study the DNA
What do fossils represent in both scientific and cultural communities?
They are considered as mere rocks.
They hold power in both scientific and cultural communities.
They are only valuable to scientific communities.
They are used exclusively for decorative purposes.
Which community's connection with ammonite fossils will be explored in the learning material?
The Inuit people near Vancouver
The Blackfoot people near Calgary
The Maori people near Wellington
The Navajo people near Phoenix
Why can it be hard to be 100% certain in our interpretations of fossils?
Fossils are abundant and clear.
Fossils are so rare and can be rather vague.
Fossils are always well-preserved.
Fossils interpretations are always certain.
What is important to do before making a final conclusion about fossils?
Ignore all the evidence.
Make an assumption based on a single piece of evidence.
Accumulate evidence.
Guess the interpretation.
Which of the following statements best describes the significance of sediment layer thickness in understanding Earth’s past environment?
Thicker sediment layers suggest periods of rapid erosion and deposition
Thicker sediment layers suggest stable environment conditions
Thinner sediment layers suggest stable environment conditions
Sediment layer thickness does not indicate any useful information to us
What methods do paleontologists use to study fossils?
Reconstructing fossils, dating rock layers, analysing layer thickness, comparing past species to common species
Analysing the DNA in fossils found in sedimentary rocks
Observing the amount of discolouration in fossils
Observing the amount of erosion
