rocks and fossils
Name:
Date:
Fossil Record
1.
Fossil Record
2.
In a section of the Grand Canyon, scientists have
found the fossil remains of several di erent groups
of organisms. The diagram below represents the
number and age of the fossils the scientists found.
The width of each shaded area in the diagram
below indicates the relative number of fossils
found.
In a section of the Grand Canyon, scientists have
found the fossil remains of several di erent groups
of organisms. The diagram below represents the
number and age of the fossils the scientists found.
The width of each shaded area in the diagram
below indicates the relative number of fossils
found.
Which of the following statements is supported by
the fossil record?
Which of the following is usually most helpful in
determining the age of these fossils?
A.
Group C is now extinct.
A.
The size of the fossils
B.
Group D has been in existence the longest.
B.
The color of the fossils
C.
Group A is the most recent organism to come
into existence.
C.
The amount of surface area of the rock layer
in which the fossils are found
D. Group B was the most numerous organism 10
million years ago.
D. The depth of the rock layer in which the
fossils are found
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3.
Use the diagram below to answer the following
question.
5.
A researcher found shark fossils on top of a
mountain. This evidence suggests which of the
following about this region?
A.
It was once below a waterfall.
B.
It was once part of a riverbed.
C.
It was once covered by an ocean.
D. It was once near a freshwater lake.
In which stage of the rock cycle shown above
would you predict the formation of fossils?
4.
A.
stage L
B.
stage M
C.
stage N
D. stage P
6.
The drawings below show some trilobite and
crinoid fossils.
Anne and her father nd a 30-million-year-old
tropical plant fossil in Louisiana. Which question
does the fossil help them answer?
A.
Were there mountains in Louisiana 30 million
years ago?
B.
What was the climate like in Louisiana
30 million years ago?
Which of the following is the most reasonable
conclusion when fossils of these two di erent
types of organisms are found in the same layers of
rock?
C.
Were there earthquakes in Louisiana
30 million years ago?
A.
Crinoids were prey for trilobites.
B.
Crinoids were ancestors of trilobites.
C.
Crinoids and trilobites had similar behaviors.
D. What kind of animals lived in Louisiana
30 million years ago?
D. Crinoids and trilobites lived at the same time.
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rocks and fossils
7.
In 2006, scientists discovered fossilized skeletons
of an animal with several interesting features.
Fossil evidence indicated that the animal not only
had scales, ns, and gills, but also had lungs, a
full set of ribs, and limb bones arranged to support
the animal's weight. The illustration below shows
what the animal, called Tiktaalik, probably looked
like based on the fossil evidence.
8.
Fossils are the evidence of organisms that lived
long ago.
Which of these animals would most likely form a
fossil?
A.
Fish
B.
Spider
C.
Which of the following statements best explains
why the Tiktaalik fossils are an important piece of
evidence for evolution?
A.
They include skeletons of both males and
females.
B.
They are complete skeletons of a carnivorous
animal.
C.
They allow scientists to estimate the animal's
lifespan.
D. They show a transitional form between
and land-dwelling vertebrates.
D.
Earthworm
Sea Nettle
sh
9.
Fossils of clam shells were found in the
Appalachian Mountains.
Which of these statements best explains why
the clam shells were found in the Appalachian
Mountains?
A.
The mountain range was once under water.
B.
Birds ying overhead dropped the clam shells.
C.
Animals released the clam shells in their
waste.
D. The clams lived on land before moving to
water.
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rocks and fossils
10.
Which fossil shown below is that of an organism
that most likely lived on land?
11.
A.
B.
12.
Paleontologists study fossils to obtain information
about organisms. In which of these types of rocks
would a paleontologist most likely nd fossils?
A.
Igneous
B.
Synthetic
C.
Sedimentary
D. Metamorphic
The picture below shows a model of the rock
cycle.
C.
During which part of the rock cycle does water
break rocks apart?
A.
D.
13.
part 1
B.
part 2
C.
part 3
D. part 4
Shale is a sedimentary rock that can be
metamorphosed into slate by
A.
cementation.
B.
chemical weathering.
C.
sedimentation.
D. increased pressure.
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rocks and fossils
14.
Relative cooling rates of igneous intrusive rocks
can be estimated by comparing rocks'
A.
crystal sizes.
B.
C.
density.
D. chemical reactivity.
16.
The diagram below shows some of the layers of
rocks found in the Grand Canyon. Scientists nd
these layers of rock useful for studying fossils.
composition.
What type of rock is shown labeled in these
layers?
15.
Ricardo has an igneous rock in his rock collection.
Where did this rock most likely form?
A.
in a volcano
B.
on a forest oor
C.
on a coral reef
A.
extrusive
B.
igneous
C.
metamorphic
D. sedimentary
D. at the bottom of a river
17.
page 5
Which of the following can cause erosion?
A.
falling leaves
B.
owing water
C.
growing grass
D. rising temperatures
rocks and fossils
18.
Which of the following is a slow process that
changes Earth's surface?
A.
C.
ooding
wind erosion
B.
20.
The pictures below show the same area before and
after an event occurred.
earthquake
D. volcanic eruption
19.
Which of the following events most likely caused
the change in this area?
Which process is most responsible for the
formation of the Grand Canyon?
A.
scouring by continental glaciers
B.
erosion by wind and water
C.
eruptions by explosive volcanoes
A.
a ood
B.
a hurricane
C.
a volcanic eruption
D. a strong earthquake
D. cracking of Earth's crust by earthquakes
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rocks and fossils
21.
The Appalachian Mountains, which extend from
Canada to Alabama, were much taller in the past
than they are today. Which of the following two
processes are most responsible for the decrease in
the height of the Appalachian Mountains?
23.
Use the information below to answer the following
question(s)
Students studied the natural resources of Maryland.
The students recorded their ndings in the data
table below.
A.
weathering and erosion
NATURAL RESOURCES OF MARYLAND
B.
sedimentation and ooding
Resource
C.
volcanic eruptions and landslides
Plants
Coal
D. tectonic collisions and earthquakes
Type
Use
Renewable
Nonrenewable
Provide food
Produce electricity
Trees and bushes are renewable natural resources.
What is a positive result of planting trees and
bushes along streams and rivers?
22.
A.
Trees and bushes increase sh habitats.
B.
Trees and bushes reduce erosion of soil.
C.
Trees and bushes increase water temperatures.
D. Trees and bushes reduce the population of
rodents.
Erosion, transportation, and deposition change the
surface of Earth.
24.
How does lava a ect the surface of Earth?
A.
Lava forms new land.
B.
Lava helps plants grow.
C.
Lava provides more food to animals.
D. Lava makes temperatures cooler on Earth.
Which number in the diagram represents a
landform made by the deposition of eroded
sediment?
A.
1
B.
2
C.
3
25.
D. 4
page 7
Which of these most likely forms when large
sections of Earth's crust collide with each other?
A.
Reefs
B.
Gullies
C.
Craters
D. Mountains
rocks and fossils