Wayground logo

Free Printable Worksheets

Font size

S
M
L
XL
Worksheets

Fossils and Changes in Ecosystems Test

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 20mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

A long period of drought causes changes to an ecosystem. Streams and ponds can dry up during a drought. Some organisms do well during a drought while others die. 

Which of these organisms will do well during a drought?

a)

Mosquitoes

b)

Frogs

c)

Fish

d)

Cactus

2.

Which of these statements best describes how a flood forces some animals to move?

a)

A flood provides more water and fills ponds for fish to live in

b)

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in still water, and populations of mosquitoes thrive.

c)

A flood destroys all grasses and shrubs in a grassland, and deer leave to find food.

d)

Herons walk through the standing water from a flood and search for food.

3.

Choose two statements that best describe how the natural changes have affected this ecosystem:

a)

The plants and animals are thriving due to the recent rainfall.

b)

A flood has wiped away all the living and non-living organisms.

c)

There has been little to no rainfall causing a drought.

d)

Only living things were affected by the natural changes.

e)

Plants are struggling to survive and animals have been forced to a new place to find food and water.

4.

This field and forest have been flooded in a big storm. Which organisms will likely thrive in the flood? Select two answers

a)

Fish

b)

Clover

c)

Woodpeckers

d)

Chipmunks

5.

During a drought, which of these adaptations would most likely help an animal survive?

a)

Long legs for running fast

b)

Bright coloration to attract mates

c)

Ability to store water

d)

Thick fur to retain heat

6.

How might a prolonged drought affect the food chain in a grassland ecosystem?

a)

Stabilization of all populations

b)

Increase in predator populations

c)

Decrease in herbivore populations

d)

Increase in plant diversity

7.

Which of these factors is most likely to cause a change in animal migration patterns?

a)

Introduction of a new predator

b)

Increase in human population

c)

Change in water availability

d)

Decrease in sunlight hours

8.

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

a)

Petrified wood

b)

Imprint

c)

Amber

d)

Mold

9.

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.

10.

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

a)

fossil

b)

extinct

c)

endangered

d)

dinosaur

11.

Which is an imprint fossil?

a)

bone

b)

a cast

c)

an animal track

d)

amber fossil

12.

Which animal part would form a fossil?

a)

fur

b)

lung

c)

bone

d)

muscle

13.

Which of the following do fossils NOT help us better understand?

a)

helps understand the future

b)

teaches us about animals of the past

c)

teaches us about plants of the past

d)

teaches us how Earth has changed over time

14.

Which of these is NOT a fossil?

a)
footprints left by an animal thousands of years ago.
b)
a leaf print from thousands of years ago.
c)
a picture of an animal from long ago.
d)
the remains of a dinosaur that have turned to stone.
15.

How do fossils form?

a)

When two rocks get rubbed together.

b)

When body parts are found in the river.

c)

When plants and animals are buried under mud, clay, or leaves.

d)

When plants and animals are buried under mud, clay, or sand.

16.

__________ is the preserved remains of animals, plants, or other organisms from the past.

a)

Evidence

b)

Sequence

c)

Fossils

d)

Organisms

17.

What happens during a rainstorm when the ground can't soak up any more water?

a)
a tsunami
b)
an earthquake
c)
a swimming pool forms
d)
a flood
18.

What is this?

a)

Wildfire

b)

Flood

c)

Drought

d)

Global warming

19.

What is this natural disaster?

a)

Landslide

b)

Windstorm

c)

Tsunami

d)

Flood

20.

Scientists can use fossils to ________, or make a guess about something based on facts.

a)

evidence

b)

infer

c)

fossil

d)

extinct