Question 1

What type of fossil is shown in the picture?

Accepted Answer

A)  body fossil 
B)  trace fossil 
C)  mold fossil 
D)  cast fossil 
A)  body fossil 
B)  trace fossil 
C)  mold fossil 
D)  cast fossil A

Question 2

Which of the following would NOT be considered a fossil?

Accepted Answer

A)  Figure 1 
B)  Figure 2 
C)  Figure 3 
D)  Figure 4 
A)  Figure 1 
B)  Figure 2 
C)  Figure 3 
D)  Figure 4 D

Question 3

The following is an example of what type of fossil?

Accepted Answer

A)  trace fossil 
B)  permineralized organism 
C)  carbonized impression 
D)  mold or cast fossil 
A)  trace fossil 
B)  permineralized organism 
C)  carbonized impression 
D)  mold or cast fossil B

Question 4

If two animals are members of the same kingdom,how closely are they related in comparison to two animals that are members of the same genus?

Accepted Answer

A)  Animals of the same kingdom are less closely related than those of the same genus. 
B)  Animals of the same kingdom are more closely related than those of the same genus. 
C)  There is no way to tell how closely related either are without more information. 
D)  Animals of the same kingdom are not related at all. 
A)  Animals of the same kingdom are less closely related than those of the same genus. 
B)  Animals of the same kingdom are more closely related than those of the same genus. 
C)  There is no way to tell how closely related either are without more information. 
D)  Animals of the same kingdom are not related at all.

Question 5

What type of fossil forms when a buried organism decays or is dissolved,but the original shape is preserved in the sediment?

Accepted Answer

A)  body fossil 
B)  trace fossil 
C)  mold fossil 
D)  cast fossil 
A)  body fossil 
B)  trace fossil 
C)  mold fossil 
D)  cast fossil

Question 6

Which of the following is a brachiopod?

Accepted Answer

A)  Figure 1 
B)  Figure 2 
C)  Figure 3 
D)  Figure 4 
A)  Figure 1 
B)  Figure 2 
C)  Figure 3 
D)  Figure 4

Question 7

Petrified wood is a type of ________________.

Accepted Answer

A)  permineralized organism 
B)  chemical fossil 
C)  trace fossil 
D)  body fossil preserved in tar 
A)  permineralized organism 
B)  chemical fossil 
C)  trace fossil 
D)  body fossil preserved in tar

Question 8

Which of the following statements regarding the fossil record is FALSE?

Accepted Answer

A)  Not every minute of Earth's history is recorded in the rock record. 
B)  The fossil record does not contain any fossil remains of plants, only animals. 
C)  Not all organisms have a high preservation potential. 
D)  Paleontologists have not yet found all the fossils that are in the rocks. 
A)  Not every minute of Earth's history is recorded in the rock record. 
B)  The fossil record does not contain any fossil remains of plants, only animals. 
C)  Not all organisms have a high preservation potential. 
D)  Paleontologists have not yet found all the fossils that are in the rocks.

Question 9

If a volcanic eruption occurs that blocks out some of the sunlight long enough for many plants to die,what (if anything)will happen to the carnivorous animal species?

Accepted Answer

A)  They will eventually die along with many other species in the food chain. 
B)  The carnivorous animals will need to adapt to eat other plant species. 
C)  They will die from the drop in temperature before the plant deaths affect them. 
D)  Nothing will happen; carnivorous animals will not be affected by plant death. 
A)  They will eventually die along with many other species in the food chain. 
B)  The carnivorous animals will need to adapt to eat other plant species. 
C)  They will die from the drop in temperature before the plant deaths affect them. 
D)  Nothing will happen; carnivorous animals will not be affected by plant death.

Question 10

When the last member of a species dies,this is called __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  fossilization 
B)  natural selection 
C)  extinction 
D)  preservation 
A)  fossilization 
B)  natural selection 
C)  extinction 
D)  preservation

Question 11

If a Mastodon dies while walking along a river,what needs to happen in order to preserve the body as a fossil?

Accepted Answer

A)  A drought must occur so that sediment can be blown over the body. 
B)  A flood must occur so that sediment can wash over the body. 
C)  No changes are necessary; it will be preserved just by being near a river. 
D)  The body must be carried away by scavengers to another location. 
A)  A drought must occur so that sediment can be blown over the body. 
B)  A flood must occur so that sediment can wash over the body. 
C)  No changes are necessary; it will be preserved just by being near a river. 
D)  The body must be carried away by scavengers to another location.

Question 12

Imagine that a layer of leaves are scattered along a forest floor; what must happen in order to preserve these leaves as fossils?

Accepted Answer

A)  The leaves must be picked up by wind or animals and carried to a desert. 
B)  The leaves must be buried slowly so that the leaves can begin to rot. 
C)  The leaves must be buried rapidly in order to keep out oxygen. 
D)  The leaves will never be preserved as they do not contain hard parts. 
A)  The leaves must be picked up by wind or animals and carried to a desert. 
B)  The leaves must be buried slowly so that the leaves can begin to rot. 
C)  The leaves must be buried rapidly in order to keep out oxygen. 
D)  The leaves will never be preserved as they do not contain hard parts.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT necessary in order to be preserved as a fossil?

Accepted Answer

A)  hard parts 
B)  rapid burial 
C)  anoxic environment 
D)  tough skin or fur 
A)  hard parts 
B)  rapid burial 
C)  anoxic environment 
D)  tough skin or fur

Question 14

What type of fossil is shown in the picture below?

Accepted Answer

A)  impressions 
B)  mold fossils 
C)  cast fossils 
D)  trace fossils 
A)  impressions 
B)  mold fossils 
C)  cast fossils 
D)  trace fossils

Question 15

Why is the preservation potential of feathers so low?

Accepted Answer

A)  because birds usually die in dry environments 
B)  because birds do not contain hard parts 
C)  because virds are very small and thus are not well preserved 
D)  because birds die in forests, areas with high oxygen levels 
A)  because birds usually die in dry environments 
B)  because birds do not contain hard parts 
C)  because virds are very small and thus are not well preserved 
D)  because birds die in forests, areas with high oxygen levels

Question 16

In which of the following rocks might you find fossils?

Accepted Answer

A)  gneiss 
B)  limestone 
C)  granite 
D)  marble 
A)  gneiss 
B)  limestone 
C)  granite 
D)  marble

Question 17

What type of fossil is composed of footprints or burrows?

Accepted Answer

A)  mold or cast 
B)  chemical fossil 
C)  trace fossil 
D)  body fossils 
A)  mold or cast 
B)  chemical fossil 
C)  trace fossil 
D)  body fossils

Question 18

The following picture is of what type of fossil?

Accepted Answer

A)  carbonized impression 
B)  dried body fossil 
C)  mold or cast 
D)  permineralized organism 
A)  carbonized impression 
B)  dried body fossil 
C)  mold or cast 
D)  permineralized organism

Question 19

At least five of these have occurred in Earth's history,one of which occurred 65 million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs.

Accepted Answer

A)  mass extinction event 
B)  punctuated equilibrium 
C)  millennia-long drought 
D)  phylogenetic extinction 
A)  mass extinction event 
B)  punctuated equilibrium 
C)  millennia-long drought 
D)  phylogenetic extinction

Question 20

Which of the following is an example of natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A)  birds that evolve a new beak style in order to exploit a different food source 
B)  the extinction of the Mammoths due to hunting by a new predator 
C)  fossils of trilobites that have the same morphology but are separated by millions of years 
D)  the mass extinction of the dinosaurs due to a meteorite's impact 65 million years ago 
A)  birds that evolve a new beak style in order to exploit a different food source 
B)  the extinction of the Mammoths due to hunting by a new predator 
C)  fossils of trilobites that have the same morphology but are separated by millions of years 
D)  the mass extinction of the dinosaurs due to a meteorite's impact 65 million years ago

Exam 24: Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

What type of fossil is shown in the picture?

Which of the following would NOT be considered a fossil?

The following is an example of what type of fossil?

If two animals are members of the same kingdom,how closely are they related in comparison to two animals that are members of the same genus?

What type of fossil forms when a buried organism decays or is dissolved,but the original shape is preserved in the sediment?

Which of the following is a brachiopod?

Petrified wood is a type of ________________.

Which of the following statements regarding the fossil record is FALSE?

If a volcanic eruption occurs that blocks out some of the sunlight long enough for many plants to die,what (if anything)will happen to the carnivorous animal species?

When the last member of a species dies,this is called __________.

If a Mastodon dies while walking along a river,what needs to happen in order to preserve the body as a fossil?

Imagine that a layer of leaves are scattered along a forest floor; what must happen in order to preserve these leaves as fossils?

Which of the following is NOT necessary in order to be preserved as a fossil?

What type of fossil is shown in the picture below?

Why is the preservation potential of feathers so low?

In which of the following rocks might you find fossils?

What type of fossil is composed of footprints or burrows?

The following picture is of what type of fossil?

At least five of these have occurred in Earth's history,one of which occurred 65 million years ago and wiped out the dinosaurs.

Which of the following is an example of natural selection?

The Earth in Context

The Way the Earth Works: Plate Tectonics

Patterns in Nature: Minerals

Up From the Inferno: Magma and Igneous Rocks

The Wrath of Vulcan: Volcanic Eruptions

Pages of Earths Past: Sedimentary Rocks

Metamorphism: a Process of Change

A Violent Pulse: Earthquakes

Crags, cracks, and Crumples: Crustal Deformation and Mountain Building

Deep Time: How Old Is Old

A Biography of Earth

Riches in Rock: Energy and Mineral Resources

Unsafe Ground: Landslides and Other Mass Movements

Streams and Floods: the Geology of Running Water

Restless Realm: Oceans and Coasts

A Hidden Reserve: Groundwater

Dry Regions: the Geology of Deserts

Amazing Ice: Glaciers and Ice Ages

Global Change in the Earth System

Rock Groups

A Surface Veneer: Sediments and Soils

The Rock Cycle

The Earths Interior Revisited: Insights From Geophysics

An Introduction to Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle

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