Earth Science: The Changing Surface of Earth, Book G

Chapter 5: Clues to Earth's Past

Clues to Earth’s Past

1.
Why do trace fossils provide so much information about how an organism lived?
A)because the tracks can give scientists hints to an organism's lifestyle
B)because the tracks can give scientists hints about the size of the organism's foot
C)because the fossils leave evidence of what the organism ate
D)because the fossils leave evidence about the shape of the organism's entire body
2.
What mathematical principle does radiometric dating use to help determine the absolute ages of rocks?
A)geometry
B)subtraction
C)addition
D)ratios
3.
Why do many organisms leave carbonaceous films as evidence of their lives?
A)because the bones of most organisms are made of compounds that contain carbon
B)because the tissues of most organisms are made of compounds that contain carbon
C)because the bones of most organisms are made of compounds that contain nitrogen
D)because the tissues of most organisms are made of compounds that contain nitrogen
4.
What type of process helps scientists find preserved DNA inside fossils?
A)insects preserved in amber
B)Premineralized remains can have soft material that was once inside the fossil preserved in minerals around the fossil.
C)Plants fossilized around the organism might have soft material that was once inside the fossil preserved around the plant.
D)Fossils that are younger and still have living material inside
5.
What geological theory has fossil evidence supported?
A)continental drift
B)plate tectonics
C)The Big Bang
D)seafloor spreading
6.
When younger sediments are deposited on top of an older area of erosion, scientists call this __________.
A)angular unconformity
B)disconformity
C)normal unconformity
D)nonconformity
7.
What is the principle of superposition?
A)that older and some younger things are on the bottom, and most younger ones closer to the top
B)that younger things are on the bottom, and older ones are closer to the top
C)that older things are on the bottom, and younger ones are closer to the top
D)that younger and some older things are on the bottom, and most older ones closer to the top
8.
What determines whether or not an organism will become a fossil?
A)its chemical makeup
B)the type of soil it is buried in
C)the weather conditions at the time of death
D)how well it is protected from scavengers, decomposers, and physical agents that break things down
9.
What type of method do scientists use to determine correlation of rock layers?
A)fossil evidence
B)radioactive decay
C)the weather conditions at the time of death
D)all of the above
10.
What natural preservative have scientists discovered fossils within?
A)frozen ground
B)amber
C)tar
D)all of the above
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