Question
1. A scientist finds the bones of a dinosaur.
What could help the scientist determine the
approximate age of the dinosaur bones?
A.
B.
C.
D.
the birds living in the area of the bones
the weather conditions in the area of the bones
the kinds of trees in the area of the bones
the index fossils in the area of the bones
2. Why is radioactive dating valuable?
A. It is used to find the location of index fossils.
B. It can determine the identities of index fossils.
C. It is used to find the absolute ages of rocks and
fossils.
D. It is used to find the relative ages of rocks and
fossils.
3. Which statement best describes the law of
superposition?
A. In undisturbed layers of sedimentary rock, the
lowest layers contain the older rocks.
B. Each layer of sedimentary rock represents 1,000
years of Earth’s age.
C. In undisturbed layers of sedimentary rock, the
upper layers contain the older rocks.
D. Rocks that form near volcanoes are older than
the surrounding rock.
4. Scientists find dinosaur fossils in the bottom
rock layers of a cliff and mammal fossils in the
middle rock layers of the cliff. Which could best
be concluded from this evidence?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Dinosaurs ate plants.
Dinosaurs were eaten by the mammals.
Dinosaurs lived on Earth before the mammals.
Dinosaurs and mammals lived at the same time.
5. Which provides the best evidence that Earth
is about 4.6 billion years old?
A.
B.
C.
D.
relative dating of fossils
radioactive decay in rocks
the law of superposition
the rock cycle
Explanation for Answer
6. How is an element identified?
A. by its number of neutrons
B. by its atomic mass
C. by its number of protons
D. by its state of matter