WorksheetsGeological History and Evolution
Total questions: 22
Worksheet time: 11mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
What is the best description for how trace fossils are different from fossils of organism's remains?
a)
Trace fossils are fossilized tracks & other evidences of an organism's activity.
b)
Trace fossils are fossilized waste of an animal.
c)
Trace fossils are parts of the original organism.
2.
Around which landforms can scientists most likely find igneous rock?
a)
cliffs
b)
faults
c)
mountains
d)
volcanoes
3.
Which best describes how ice cores are important to the study of geologic history?
a)
They show unconformities, which signal changes in deposition.
b)
They hold index fossils, which are used to date the different ice cores.
c)
They contain evidence showing changes in the atmospheric composition over time.
d)
They follow the Law of Superposition, which gives reasons for extinctions of species
4.
If a metamorphic rock contains an intrusion of igneous, which rock is the oldest?
a)
The igneous rock is older.
b)
The rocks are the same age.
c)
The metamorphic rock is older.
5.
Which are scientists most likely to use to estimate the age of Earth?
a)
rock layers
b)
soil samples
c)
organic fossils
d)
water samples
6.
Which is the most likely reason scientists would want to analyze the air trapped in an ice core?
a)
to study how much oxygen was in the ice
b)
to learn how the atmosphere has changed over time
c)
to determine how many gas bubbles were present in the air
d)
to study how many animals lived on Earth when the ice was formed
7.
Where is evidence most often found to represent a record of Earth's history?
a)
air, lava, & fossils
b)
water, air & rocks
c)
lava, water & ice cores
d)
rocks, fossils & ice cores
8.
How are sedimentary rocks formed?
a)
by hardening and cementing of layers of sediment
b)
by fossils getting buried in various layers of sediment
c)
by cooling and hardening of hot molten rock from inside the Earth
9.
Which makes a good index fossil?
a)
a fossil not commonly found in rocks
b)
a fossil that lived throughout geologic time
c)
a fossil that lived during three geologic time periods
d)
a fossil that lived during only one geologic time period
10.
Which is the most accurate method scientists can use to estimate Earth's age.
a)
relativism
b)
superposition
c)
relative dating
d)
radioactive dating
11.
In what type of rock would a geologist most likely find evidence of ancient life?
a)
sedimentary
b)
folliated
c)
metamorphic
d)
volcanic
12.
Carbon 14 has a half life of 5,730 years. If a fossil sample has 25% of the original carbon 14 in it, how old is the fossil?
a)
5,730 years old
b)
11,460 years old
c)
17,190 years old
13.
Which provides the best evidence of Earth's changing climate?
a)
ice cores
b)
volcanic ash
c)
metamorphic rocks
d)
sediment in river beds
14.
Which method would be the best for scientists to use to determine the absolute age of a Precambrian igneous rock?
a)
index fossils
b)
law of superposition
c)
radiometric dating
d)
law of original horizontality
15.
An investigator finds a seashell fossil in a sedimentary rock layer. They conclude that this organism lived at this exact location. A second researcher disagrees and thinks that this organism lived far away from this location. Which statement best describes how this individual organism could have lived elsewhere as proposed by the second research?
a)
The organism was a member of a species found in many locations.
b)
The organism evolved over time to survive in a different environment.
c)
Water currents dragged the organism's remains to their current location before fossilization
d)
Predators carried the fossil to a new location as their movement patterns changed.
16.
Data from the analyses of ice cores has shown that levels of carbon dioxide have increased and decreased over the last 400,000 years. Based on this information, what can be inferred about global temperatures over the same period of time?
a)
Temperatures have risen sharply over the time period.
b)
Temperatures have dropped sharply over the time period.
c)
Temperatures have remained constant over the time period.
d)
Temperatures have risen and dropped in a repeated pattern over the time period.
17.
Which best describes how ice cores can provide scientists with evidence for climate change over a period of time?
a)
Ice cores form only during ice ages.
b)
Dark rings in the ice core indicate climate change.
c)
The temperature of the ice core is lower in layers formed when the temperature is colder.
d)
The concentration of gases in the ice core indicate colder or warmer temperatures.
18.
The level of carbon dioxide in an ice core is higher at the top than farther down. What can most likely be determined from this?
a)
A catastrophic event occurred.
b)
The landmass moved further toward the equator.
c)
There was a global cooling period followed by a global warming period.
d)
There was a global warming period followed by a global cooling period.
19.
Which can scientists infer when they find marine fossils on top of mountains?
a)
The mountains were created by erosion.
b)
The mountains were created through a catastrophic event.
c)
The mountains were created by an uplifting of tectonic plates.
d)
The mountains were created through chemical change in the atmosphere.
20.
An ice core shows increasing levels of carbon dioxide over the last 100 years. Which best explains the high levels of carbon dioxide found in the ice core?
a)
Temperatures over the last century have been growing colder.
b)
Temperatures over the last century have been growing warmer.
c)
The region was covered by seawater at some time in the last century.
d)
The region has received higher amounts of precipitation over the last century.
21.
When two fish die, Fish A sinks to the bottom of a lake and Fish B washes up on the rocky lake shore.
Why is a fossil more likely to form from the body of Fish A than from the body of Fish B?
Why is a fossil more likely to form from the body of Fish A than from the body of Fish B?
a)
Soft parts of the fish will decay more quickly in the water.
b)
Sediments in the water will quickly cover the fish.
c)
Scavengers in the water will eat the remains of the fish.
d)
Currents in the water will move the fish.
22.
Scientists studying a geologic site found tropical plant fossils in a lower rock layer and fossils of woolly mammoths, also called tundra mammoths, above the layer. Which is the most likely conclusion?
a)
The woolly mammoths lived before the tropical plants.
b)
The tropical plants became extinct due to global climate change.
c)
The tropical plants were the major food source for the woolly mammoths.
d)
The woolly mammoths lived in tropical climates as well as cold climates.
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