Name __________________________________________ Date ______________ Class section _______
Chapter 17: The Rock Record
Earth Science
13 pts
Section 17.3: The Fossil Record
(p. 334-339)
Multiple choice: Choose the one best response. Write the letter of that choice in the space provided.
_____ 1. An organism will only undergo mummification if it is ___.
a. buried in sediment at the bottom of a lake
c. covered in tar
b. trapped in amber
d. very dry
_____ 2. Tar beds are formed from thick deposits of ___.
a. clay
b. amber
c. petroleum
d. silica
_____ 3. A fossil animal with its skin and muscles intact was most likely preserved through the
process of ___.
a. Petrification
b. freezing
c. carbonization
d. casting
_____ 4. Which of the following is an example of a trace fossil?
a. an intact shark tooth
c. a dinosaur footprint
b. a petrified log
d. an insect in amber
_____ 5. Fossils found exclusively in the rock layers of a particular geologic age are called ___.
a. coprolites
b. trace fossils
c. gastroliths
d. index fossils
_____ 6. Approximately how old is a layer of rock containing ammonite fossils?
a. 245 to 550 million years
c. 65 to 200 million years
b. 100 to 200 million years
d. 10 to 65 million years
_____ 7. Which of the following rock layers in the
diagram below have the same relative age?
a. 1 and 6
c. 3 and 7
b. 2 and 9
d. 5 and 10
8. Define paleontology: ______________________________________________________________
9. How is a petrified log formed? (2 pts)__________________________________________________
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10. What do we learn from coprolite fossils of ancient animals? ______________________________
11. Tropical plant fossils have been found in Antarctica. What does this tell you about Antarctica’s
climate? (2 pts)
(see article)
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