Geologic Time
Name____________________
Matching: Match each of the following items with their corresponding responses.
_____1. The largest division of geologic time
_____2. The second-largest division of geologic time.
_____3. Epochs are a division of this time
_____4. The Era that fish were dominate
_____5. The earliest era was the
_____6. The present era is
_____7. The era the dinosaurs were in
_____8. The era from which few fossils have been found is
_____9. The present period is
____10. The present epoch is
A. Cenozoic
C. Quaternary
I. Eon
F. Period
H. Paleozoic
E. Epoch
B. Era
D. Precambrian
J. Eocene
G. Mesozoic
True/False: Write the letter clearly in the blank.
_____1. Cave paintings and stone tools are evidence of human development
during the late Mesozoic Era.
_____2. A period is a subdivision of an Epoch
_____3. The Cambrian period has few fossils because they were soft bodied
_____4. Coral live only in cold ocean water.
_____5. The earth’s eras were of the same length
_____6. Amphibians are animals the live part of their life in water & part on land.
They are a link to reptiles.
_____7. Flowering plants developed during the Paleozoic Era.
_____8. The break- up of Pangaea affected the evolution of organisms
Multiple Choice: Choose the term that best answers the question or completes the statement.
_____1. The Ice Age probably advanced most during which period of geologic time?
a. Quaternary
b. Cretaceous
c. Jurassic
d. Devonian
_____2. The earliest known fish developed in which period of the Paleozoic Era?
a. Devonian
b. Cambrian
c. Ordovician
d. Quaternary
_____3. The first period in the Cenozoic Era is call the?
a. Tertiary
b. Silurian
c. Ordovician
d. Quaternary
_____4. Crustal movement during the Mesozoic Era created an environment
That contributed to the evolution of?
a. humans
b. shellfish
c. dinosaurs
d. mastadons
_____5. Fossil remains indicate that the simplest forms of life date back to what Era?
a. Paleozoic
b. Precambrian
c. Mesozoic
d. Cenozoic
_____6. The Paleozoic Era …
a. is subdivided into seven epochs
c. ends with extinction of dinosaurs
b. begins with the appearance of animals d. is subdivided into 7 periods
_____7. Trilobites died out at
a. Devonian
b. Permian
c. Cretaceous
d. Holocene
_____8. In which period of the Mesozoic Era did the dinosaurs become extinct?
a. Eocene
b. Cretaceous
c. Tertiary
d. Jurassic
_____9. During the Pennsylvanian period
a) first fish appeared
b) dinosaurs were dominate
c) first reptiles
d) coal fields formed
_____10. During the Mississippian period
a. the first fish appeared
c. the first land plants appeared
b. flowering plants appeared
d. none of these happened
_____11. The Mesozoic Era
a. is divided into three epochs
c. ends with the extinction of dinosaurs
b. begins with appearance of trilobites
d. begins with building of Alps
_____12. The division of the geologic time scale is based in part on:
a. changes in forms of life
c. changes in climate
b. the meteorite impact theory
d. the mass extinction theory
_____13. The beginning of the Paleozoic Era was marked by the appearance of:
a. algae
b. dinosaurs
_____14. The Cenozoic Era
a) is divided into 7 periods
c. mammals
B) has no ice ages
d. abundant sea life
c) includes the present d) is the age of reptiles
_____15. During the Cambrian period where did life forms live?
a. water
b. land
c. air
d. all over
Use the table below to answer the following questions.
x
_____1. When did the ice sheets start melting?
a. Holocene
b. Oligocene
c. Pleistocene
d. Miocene
_____2. Which of the groups became dominant at the point in time indicated by the X?
a. insects
b. mammals
c. snails
d. fish
_____3. Which of the events occurred about 65 million years ago?
a) trilobites appeared
b) dinosaurs disappeared
c) Rocky Mtns. Formed
d) grand canyon was carved
_____4. For about how many years was there only simple sea life on the earth?
a. 65
b. 440
c. 4000
d. 4600
_____5. What started during the Triassic period?
a. petrified forest
b. 1st mammal
c. 1st reptile
d. 1st turtle
_____6. From 65 million years to 0 million years is known as:
a. Age of Fish
b. Age of Mammals
c. Middle Age
_____7. Which period has the oldest birds and the oldest mammals?
a. Quaternary
b. Tertiary
c. Cretaceous
d. Jurassic
_____8. Advancing seas and new plants developed in what period?
a. Quaternary
b. Tertiary
c. Cretaceous
d. Jurassic
_____9. When was the oldest vertebrates found?
a. Ordovician
b. Silurian
c. Devonian
d. Pennsylvanian
_____10. What period did the coal forest start to be dominate?
a. Mississippian
b. Silurian
c. Devonian
d. Pennsylvanian
d. Ice Age
Short Answer: Only answer two out of the four.
1. What two major changes occurred in plants and animals between the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras?
2. In the Silurian Period we find reefs near Chicago. How is it that we find them then and not now?
3. Why is it difficult to divide Precambrian time into smaller units of time on the same basis as later
geologic time?
4. Suggest a reason why more types of marine animals than land animals disappeared at the end of
the Paleozoic.
Extra Credit: Explain why you think the dinosaurs became extinct or didn’t. Back up with information
from the debate.