Exam 12: Earths Evolution Through Geologic Time

The waste gas released by plants as they synthesize food sugars from carbon dioxide and water is ________.

During the early Paleozoic era, South America, Africa, Australia, Antarctica, India, and perhaps China comprised the vast southern continent of ________.

On each continent, large "core areas" of Precambrian rocks, called ________, dominate the surface.

The ________ period was the "golden age of trilobites."

The ________ era spans about 88 percent of Earth's history.

The major source of free oxygen in the atmosphere is from ________.

Planets in the making are referred to as ________.

The supercontinent of Pangaea formed during the late Mesozoic era.

By the close of the Paleozoic, all the continents had fused into the single super continent of ________.

One group of reptiles, exemplified by the fossil Archaeopteryx, led to the evolution of ________.

Which one of the following does NOT characterize the early development and specialization of the primitive mammals?

Many reptile groups became extinct at the close of the Cenozoic era.

The cells of these primitive organisms lack organized nuclei and they reproduce asexually.

Primitive organisms, called ________, reproduce asexually and contain cells that lack organized nuclei.

The first true terrestrial animals were the ________.

As the solar system began forming, the first materials to condense into small particles were ________ and nickel.

Well preserved remains of many tiny organisms extend the record of life back beyond 5 billion years.

What were the three gases that made up Earth's original atmosphere?

Which of the following gases was NOT part of Earth's original atmosphere?

During the early Paleozoic era, the continent of Gondwanaland included North and South America.