Name: _________________________________________________
Section: ________________
Date: _________________
Weekly Quiz 4: Getting Into the Fossil Record!
1) Scientists decide the age of different rock layers by the things that they uncover in the rock. Which
of the items below could scientists use to date a layer of rock?
a. A fossilized fish
b. An insect flying near the dig site
c. A raindrop on the rock
d. A green leaf that fell off of a tree
2) What can scientists learn by studying fossils?
I. How the Earth's surface has changed over time
II. The appearance of an organism and its structures
III. How species have changed over time
IV. How the Earth's climate has changed over time
a.
b.
c.
d.
II only
I, II, III, and IV
II and III only
I and IV only
3) Which of the following parts of an organism is most likely to become fossilized?
a. Skin
b. Tooth
c. Heart
d. Lung
4) What information do fossils provide about plants and animals?
a. Animals and plants have changed over time.
b. Animals and plants have changed recently.
c. Animals and plants have not developed together.
d. Animals and plants have not changed over time.
5) Which one would be most likely to fossilize?
a. A caterpillar
b. A mammoth
c. A rock
d. Sediment
6) Why is a mammoth more likely to fossilize than a caterpillar?
a. Large organisms fossilize better
b. Hard parts like bones and teeth are more likely to be preserved
c. Soft tissues fossilize well
d. Undigested food in the stomach helps the fossilization process
7) Rapid burial is important in the fossilization process because:
a. It causes erosion
b. It protects a dead organism from compression
c. It protects a dead organism from physical and biological destruction
d. It leaves an impression
8) Fossils are more likely to be found in:
a. Igneous rock
b. Sedimentary rock
c. Metamorphic rock
d. All of the above
9) Few organisms ever become fossils because:
a. They die in an environment where fossils rarely form
b. They are destroyed by physical and biological factors after death
c. They are made of soft body structures that do not fossilize well
d. All of the above
e.
10) Of the tiny percentage of organisms that ever become fossils, most are never found because:
a. They are crushed, eroded or melted by geologic processes
b. They are eaten by scavengers
c. They remain hidden in the Earth where we can’t find them
d. Both a and c are correct
e. Both b and c are correct
Bonus Questions:
11) Which of the following fossil discoveries best demonstrates a change in the Earth's climate?
a. Scientists discover a large amount of fossils of marine life near the shore.
b. Scientists find a large amount of fossils of tropical plants and animals in a desert.
c. Scientists find an area that contains a variety of plant fossils but no animal fossils.
d. Scientists discover fossils of straight teeth buried below fossils of curved teeth.
12)A team of scientists are studying three different layers of sedimentary rock to learn about a
particular reptile species. In the layer of rock that is closest to the Earth's surface, the reptiles'
teeth fossils are found to be short and straight. In the layer below, the reptiles' teeth fossils are
found to be long and straight. In the layer below that, the reptiles' teeth fossils are found to be long
and curved.
Based on this information, the reptiles today most likely have...
a. Long, curved teeth.
b. Long, straight teeth.
c. No teeth.
d. short, straight teeth.