Content Benchmark L.8.D.2
Students know fossils provide evidence of how life and environmental conditions have
changed throughout geologic time. E/S
Sample Test Questions
1st Item Specification: Know fossils provide evidence of how environments and
organisms have changed over time.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
1. Scientists define evolution as
A. an explanation of the origin of life.
B. just a controversial theory.
C. how species have changed over time.
D. a form of intelligent design.
2. What are the remains of living organisms called?
A. Strata
B. Fossils
C. Evolution
D. Minerals
3. According to the fossil record, 99% of organisms that lived on Earth are
A. endangered.
B. surviving.
C. mutating.
D. extinct.
4. Evidence for past events that have occurred during Earth’s ancient history are
recorded in
A. history books.
B. written timelines.
C. fossils within rocks.
D. clothes people wore.
5. The fossil record supports Darwin’s theory of evolution by demonstrating that plants
and animals
A. have changed over time.
B. existed for only a few thousands of years.
C. are the same in various environments.
D. remain unchanged until extinction.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
6. Scientists have discovered fossils of whale ancestors that have well developed hip and
thigh bones, which are typically used for walking by mammals. Modern whales most
likely evolved from ancestors who
A. lived in the sea, then became better adapted for land.
B. lived on land, then became better adapted for the sea.
C. evolved in the sea and remained in the sea.
D. evolved on land and remained on land.
7. Fossils of shellfish and snails are commonly found in the Las Vegas valley. What can
you infer about the environmental conditions in the Las Vegas valley millions of
years ago? The Las Vegas valley
A. was always a desert.
B. was once a forest.
C. once contained a glacier.
D. once contained a shallow sea.
2nd Item Specification: Given examples, predict the relative age of rock layers based
on the types of fossils that they contain.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
8. In order to determine the relative age of fossil, scientists may use a type of fossil
known as a(n)
A. index fossil.
B. radioactive fossil.
C. relative fossil.
D. absolute fossil.
9. In order to be considered a useful index fossil, an organism must have lived for a
A. short period of time in a wide geographical region.
B. short period of time in a narrow geographical region.
C. long period of time in a wide geographical region.
D. long period of time in a narrow geographical region.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
10. Several fossils were uncovered in different layers of rock in a desert area. The
following diagram indicates the age of the layers of rock and the fossils found in
each.
(Image from Science CPD Sample Test Items on Interact)
Based on the fossils found, this area was most likely once a
A. lake that was replaced by a forest.
B. forest that was replaced by a sea.
C. a rainforest that was replaced by a forest.
D. forest that was replaced by a grassland.
11. The following graph shows the half-life of potassium-40 over time.
(Figure from Holt ExamView)
After three half-lives have passed, how much of the original element is
present in the specimen?
A. 1/2
B. 1/4
C. 1/8
D. 1/16
3rd Item Specification: Know the conditions necessary for fossil formation.
Depth of Knowledge Level 1
12. Fossils are most commonly preserved in which type of rock?
A. Igneous rock
B. Metamorphic rock
C. Sedimentary rock
D. Transitional rock
13. Which of the following is an example of a trace fossil?
A. Footprint from a dinosaur.
B. Insect preserved in amber.
C. Mammoth frozen in the ground.
D. Piece of petrified wood.
Depth of Knowledge Level 2
14. Which statement is NOT a weakness of the fossil record?
A. Since only animals fossilize, the evolutionary history of plants cannot be studied
using fossils.
B. Large number of species may have died under conditions where their bodies were
not fossilized.
C. The fossil record is biased because most preserved organisms contain hard body
structures.
D. The fossil record is biased because it favors organisms that were widespread and
abundant.
15. The body of an animal is more likely to become fossilized if it
A. remains on the surface after death.
B. does not contain hard body parts.
C. dies in a moist environment.
D. is buried before it decomposes.
16. Why are fossils of hard-bodied organisms more common than soft-bodied organisms?
A. The fossils of soft-bodied organisms preserve better than hard structures.
B. The fossils of hard-bodied organisms preserve better than soft structures.
C. There are more organisms with hard structures in aquatic environments.
D. There are more organisms with soft structure in land environments.
Constructed Response L.8.D.2
Paleontologists study fossils to obtain information about the history of life on Earth. One
of the limitations of the fossil record is that it is “incomplete.” Answer the following
questions to justify why fossils give paleontologists useful information of the life that
once existed on Earth.
A. What type of information can scientists observe directly from fossils?
B. What type of information must be inferred from fossils?
C. How do paleontologists explain the “gaps” in the fossil record? Support your
response with evidence.
Content Benchmark L.8.D.2
Students know fossils provide evidence of how life and environmental conditions have
changed throughout geologic time. E/S
Answers to Sample Test Questions
1. C, DOK Level 1
2. B, DOK Level 1
3. D, DOK Level 1
4. C, DOK Level 1
5. A, DOK Level 1
6. B, DOK Level 2
7. D, DOK Level 2
8. A, DOK Level 1
9. A, DOK Level 1
10. B, DOK Level 2
11. C, DOK Level 2
12. C, DOK Level 1
13. A, DOK Level 1
14. A, DOK Level 2
15. D, DOK Level 2
16. B, DOK Level 2
Constructed Response L.8.D.2 Score Rubric:
Response addresses all parts of the question clearly and correctly.
3 Points
2 Points
Student recognizes there are many different types of fossils such as
entirely preserved organisms, structures such as teeth and bones, or trace
fossils. Paleontologists can use the preserved structures from organism to
calculate the age of the fossil and to determine the size and structure of
the organism. Since the soft structures do not fossilize well,
paleontologists must infer the appearance of the soft tissue.
Paleontologists also infer the behavior and diet of fossilized organisms.
There are gaps in the fossil record because not every organism dies under
conditions that allow it to become fossilized. Also, many fossils remain
buried and have not been discovered yet. However, scientists use the
current fossil record to predict the transitional fossils that most likely
existed.
Response addresses all parts of the question and includes only minor
errors.
1 Point
Response does not address all parts of the question.
0 Points
The response is totally incorrect or no response.