DMS
Fossils Sub-Unit Test
8-2.2, 8-2.6, 8-2.7, 8-1
1.
(8-2.2) All of the following are false except…
a. Fossils can be used to date the rocks in which they are found
b. Fossils show the shape of an organism, but give no other information
c. Only bones preserved in rock can be considered fossils
d. There is no way to find the absolute age of fossils
2.
(8-2.6) Geologists found fossils in several layers
within the Earth and have determined, by using C14 dating, that, of all the fossils found in the
illustrated rock layers, the fossils found in layer
______ are the oldest.
a. B
b. C
c. E
d. F
3.
(8-2.6) Fossil A is found in a layer of rock that is lower than the layer that Fossil B is found in. Based on this
information, which statement is correct?
a. Fossil A is older than Fossil B.
b. Fossil A is the same age as Fossil B.
c. Fossil A is younger than Fossil B.
d. Fossil B is older than Fossil A.
4.
(8-2.2) The presence of an animal fossil in a rock gives evidence of —
a.
b.
c.
d.
5.
exactly when the animal was born
how many babies the animal had
the time period the animal lived in
what hunting behaviors the animal used
(8-2.6) What makes a good index fossil?
a.
b.
c.
d.
big and easy to see in the field
with a hard shell that can be easily preserved
spans over a long geological time period
widespread geographically and limited to a short span of geological time.
Use the diagram to answer #6.
6. (8-2.6) Which rock layer is probably the oldest?
a.
b.
c.
d.
7.
1
3
4
6
(8-2.2) Which of the following is important if an
organism is to become a fossil?
a.
b.
c.
d.
soft parts and slow burial
rapid burial and soft parts
rapid burial and hard parts
hard parts and slow burial
8. (8-2.6) Index fossils help scientists estimate the age of a rock because index fossil species only
existed for a relatively short time. What happened to the species that are now used as index
fossils?
a.
b.
c.
d.
They became extinct.
They changed their diets.
They hid in marine sediments.
They migrated to new environments.
Use the diagram to answer #9-10
The sequence below occurs over a long period of geologic time.
9. (8-2.2) The sequence shows the steps involved in the formation of
a. an element
b. a fault
c. an igneous rock
d. a fossil
10. (8-2.2) The name of this structure is…
a. Carbonized
b. Cast
c. Mold
d. Petrified
11. (8-2.2) Most fossils are found in what type of rock?
a. Igneous
b. Metamorphic
c. Mineral
d. Sedimentary
12. (8-2.2) The picture shows a limestone building block.
Which of these best shows that the limestone was
formed from ocean sediments?
a. The position of the fossils
b. The number of fossils
c. The type of fossils
d. The size of the fossils
Use the Diagram to answer item #13.
13. (8-2.6) How could the Law of Superposition
be applied correctly to this cross-section?
a. The youngest sedimentary layer
was deposited by glaciers.
b. The layers in this cross-section are
all igneous, so it will not work.
c. The sedimentary layer in this crosssection is close to 5,200 years old.
d. The youngest sedimentary layer
can be found at the very bottom of
the cross-section.
14. (8-2.6) The cross section below shows sedimentary rock layers
containing fossils. Assuming that these rock layers have not been
overturned, which fossil is in the layer that was formed most
recently?
a.
b.
c.
15. (8-2.6) The cross section below shows fossils
and the rock layers in which they are found.
Crustal movement has not displaced the rock
layers. Which fossil is considered the oldest
in the cross section shown?
a. armored fish
b. dinosaurs
c. early horses
d. trilobites
d.
16. (8-2.6) Scientists see three layers of rock exposed on
the side of a hill. The bottom layer is sandstone with fossils
of a certain species of reptile found only in this geographic
location. The middle layer is volcanic ash. The top layer is
mudstone (shale) with fossils of a different species of
reptile. The fossil evidence supports which hypothesis
about the extinction of the older reptile species?
a. The older reptile species went extinct because predator was introduced into the
environment.
b. The older reptile species went extinct because a volcanic eruption caused the
environment to
change.
c. The older reptile species went extinct because it could not compete with the
younger reptile species.
d. The older reptile species went extinct because sea levels rose and flooded its
habitat.
17. (8-1.3) A desert lake has evaporated to half its original size over the past 50 years. This caused a large increase
in the lake’s salt concentration. Over these 50 years, scientists have observed a decrease in the population of one
fish species and an increase in the population of a shrimp species. Which hypothesis about the organisms’ ability to
live with the salt concentration does the evidence support?
a. If the salt concentration is high, then there will be more fish.
b. If the salt concentration is high, then there will be more shrimp.
c. If the salt concentration is high, then there will be equal populations of both animals.
d. If the salt concentration is high, then both animal populations will not survive.
18. (8-1.7) Which procedure is unsafe when heating a liquid in a test tube?
a. add the liquid to the test tube before turning on the flame
b. heating the liquid slowly
c. looking down the test tube to check for boiling
d. using a low-energy flame
19. (8-2.2) A mammoth was discovered in a glacier in Greenland. Though the mammoth died
thousands of years ago, it appeared as if it had died only days ago. A mammoth fossil like the
one found in Greenland would be classified as a ______________ fossil.
a. Cast
b. Mold
c. Petrified
d. Preserved
20. (8-2.6) The layers of rock may be relatively dated, from youngest to
oldest…
a. G, F, D, C, B, E, A
b. G, F, D, E, C, B, A
c. G, F, E, D, C, B, A
d. G, F, E, D, C, A, B
21. (8-1.6) Some students added 500 milliliters of water to equal amounts of four different samples
of soil. In this investigation, which sample of soil held the most water?
Use the Graph to answer #22.
22. (8-1.3) A rubber ball was dropped from the same height onto five
different surfaces. The height of the first bounce was measured and
recorded. The graph shows the data. Based on the data, which
surface caused the ball to bounce three times the height of the carpet
bounce?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Tile
Grass
Concrete
Wood
23. (8-1.1) A class wants to find the ideal temperature for plants to grow in a terrarium. If the
students set up several terrariums, what should they do to get the best results?
a. plant different kinds of plants in each terrarium
b. use a light bulb with a different brightness in each terrarium
c. add different amounts of water to each terrarium
d. place different types of fertilizer in each terrarium
24. (8-2.2) Create a T-Chart explaining the difference between a preserved and petrified fossil.