Earth Science Geology, the Environment, and the Universe

Chapter 21: Fossils and the Rock Records

Chapter Test Practice-English

1
A _________ is the unaltered remains of a once-living organism.
A)trace fossil
B)fossil with permineralization
C)fossil with original preservation
D)mold of a fossil
2
A gravel-sized particle in a conglomerate is __________ the conglomerate rock.
A)younger than
B)the same age as
C)always ten times older than
D)older than
3
According to the figure, after four half-lives, how much parent product would be left?
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A)0%
B)6.25%
C)10%
D)25%
4
According to the figure, what marked the end of the Mesozoic Era?
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A)the building of the Appalachians ends
B)the extinction of many marine invertebrates
C)the extinction of the dinosaurs
D)mammals are abundant
5
According to the table, what is the half-life of Thorium-234?
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A)8 days
B)20 days
C)16 days
D)24 days
6
Which division of the geologic time scale includes the Cambrian, Ordovician and the Silurian?
A)eon
B)era
C)period
D)epoch
7
If a horizontal Devonian shale directly overlies a horizontal Ordovician limestone, what is the surface between the strata called?
A)an erosional surface
B)a nonconformity
C)a disconformity
D)an angular unconformity
8
Petrified wood is an example of __________.
A)an index fossil
B)a mold
C)permineralization
D)original hard parts
9
Which is not a characteristic of an index fossil?
A)lived for a geologically long period of time
B)abundant
C)widely distributed geographically
D)easily recognized
10
What does a disconformity in a sedimentary rock sequence represent?
A)a gap in the rock record
B)a volcanic eruption
C)duplicated strata in the rock record
D)a flood event
11
What era of geologic time ended with the largest extinction event in Earth history?
A)the Precambrian
B)Paleozoic Era
C)Mesozoic Era
D)Cenozoic Era
12
What geologic principle states that in an undisturbed rock sequence, the oldest rocks are on the bottom and the youngest are on the top?
A)uniformitarianism
B)cross-cutting relationships
C)original horizontality
D)superposition
13
What is the longest division of time in the geologic time scale?
A)an era
B)an epoch
C)a period
D)an eon
14
What marks the end of the Proterozoic Eon?
A)free oxygen
B)mammals
C)oxygen breathing organisms
D)the first appearance of organisms with hard parts
15
What method is used to determine the exact age of a rock or fossil?
A)dendrochronology
B)radiometric dating
C)relative age dating
D)the principle of superposition
16
Which principle of geology can be used to determine the relative age of rock layer M?
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A)cross-cutting relationships
B)inclusions
C)uniformitarianism
D)superposition
17
What type of material is used in the dating technique of dendrochronology?
A)tree leaves
B)sediment layers from lake beds
C)tree growth rings
D)key beds
18
Which rock unit shown in the figure below is the youngest?
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A)Q
B)P
C)M
D)L
19
Which of these are indirect evidence of plant or animal life?
A)altered remains
B)trace fossils
C)microfossils
D)original hard parts
20
Which artifact cannot be dated using radiocarbon dating?
A)leather sandal
B)cloth shirt
C)animal bone
D)clay pot
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