Question 1

What is a fossil? In what type(s)of rock are fossils most likely to be found? What factors influence an organism's preservation potential to form a fossil?

Accepted Answer

A fossil is the remnants or traces of an...

Question 2

Which of the following components of animals' bodies are most likely to form fossils?

Accepted Answer

A)   internal soft tissue
B)   bones,teeth and shells
C)   external soft tissues such as skin,feathers,and fur
D)   internal organsE) All of the above
F) B) and C)

Question 3

What is the term for the yellow to orange clear stone that forms from sticky plant resins,often containing body fossils of trapped insects?

Accepted Answer

A)   cast and mold
B)   biomarker
C)   amber
D)   trace fossilsE) A) and C)
F) None of the above

Question 4

Imagine that a layer of leaves is 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.E) None of the above
F) B) and D)

Question 5

Why are fossils almost exclusively found in sedimentary rocks?

Accepted Answer

Fossils are found in sedimentary rocks a...

Question 6

What type of fossil,examples of which are shown in the figure,is composed of remnants of plankton,algae,bacteria,and pollen?

Accepted Answer

A)   microfossil
B)   chemical fossil
C)   trace fossil
D)   body fossilE) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 7

Label each fossil in the image below with the common fossil name.

Accepted Answer

See the im...

Question 8

Why do plant fossils typically occur as carbonized impressions between layers in rocks?

Accepted Answer

A)   because chemical reactions leave behind only the carbon
B)   because they often begin to decay before fossilization
C)   because they are easily moved by winds and water
D)   because they are generally scavenged by animalsE) All of the above
F) A) and B)

Question 9

Biomarkers,or compounds preserved in rocks that derive from particular organisms,are a type of:

Accepted Answer

A)   permineralized fossil.
B)   chemical fossil.
C)   trace fossil.
D)   body fossil preserved in tar.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 10

What type of fossil forms when a shell pushes in soft sediment,leaving an impression that gets incorporated into the rock even if the shell itself dissolves away?

Accepted Answer

A)   body fossil
B)   trace fossil
C)   mold fossil
D)   chemical fossilE) A) and B)
F) C) and D)

Question 11

In which of the following rocks would you be most likely to find fossils?

Accepted Answer

A)   gneiss
B)   limestone
C)   granite
D)   basaltE) B) and C)
F) A) and B)

Question 12

What is natural selection?

Accepted Answer

A)   the theory that all life began in shallow coastal pools of protein-rich water
B)   the theory that all life on the Earth has evolved from single-celled organisms
C)   the idea that animals who share specialized characteristics are part of a genus
D)   the passing on of beneficial characteristics so that the most adaptable surviveE) None of the above
F) B) and D)

Question 13

Why was the Cambrian Explosion an important event in the evolution of life on the Earth?

Accepted Answer

A)   This is when life first appeared on the Earth.
B)   This is when multicellular life forms evolved.
C)   This is when a great variety of invertebrates with shells appear in the fossil record.
D)   This is when plants and land animals first occurred.E) None of the above
F) B) and D) C

Question 14

Which of the following is a brachiopod?

Accepted Answer

A)   Figure 1
B)   Figure 2
C)   Figure 3
D)   Figure 4E) A) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 15

Why is the preservation potential of an organism higher if it dies in an anoxic (oxygen-poor) environment?

Accepted Answer

A)   The organism will die more quickly without oxygen.
B)   Anoxic environments contain abundant amounts of amber.
C)   The organism decays slowly in an anoxic environment.
D)   Oxygen decreases the rate of permineralization.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 16

A scientist who studies fossils is known as a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)   archaeologist.
B)   paleontologist.
C)   mineralogist.
D)   seismologist.E) A) and B)
F) A) and C)

Question 17

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 they are without more information.
D)   Animals of the same kingdom are not related at all.E) A) and D)
F) B) and C) A

Question 18

Impressions that organisms leave behind in soft sediment,such as footprint and burrows,can become what type of fossil?

Accepted Answer

A)   skeletal fossils
B)   trace fossils
C)   molecular fossils
D)   permineralized fossilsE) A) and B)
F) A) and D) B

Question 19

Study of the fossil record has revealed that species go extinct and new species evolve

Accepted Answer

A)   very slowly most of the time,with short periods of rapid evolution.
B)   at roughly the same rates for all of life's history.
C)   only during times of continental rifting.
D)   at the same rates for all types of organisms.E) B) and C)
F) A) and D)

Question 20

How is a mass extinction event different from extinction?

Accepted Answer

An extinction occurs when the ...

Exam 24: Memories of Past Life: Fossils and Evolution

What is a fossil? In what type(s)of rock are fossils most likely to be found? What factors influence an organism's preservation potential to form a fossil?

Correct AnswerverifiedA fossil is the remnants or traces of an...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following components of animals' bodies are most likely to form fossils?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the term for the yellow to orange clear stone that forms from sticky plant resins,often containing body fossils of trapped insects?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why are fossils almost exclusively found in sedimentary rocks?

Correct AnswerverifiedFossils are found in sedimentary rocks a...View AnswerShow Answer

What type of fossil,examples of which are shown in the figure,is composed of remnants of plankton,algae,bacteria,and pollen?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Label each fossil in the image below with the common fossil name.

Correct AnswerverifiedSee the im...View AnswerShow Answer

Why do plant fossils typically occur as carbonized impressions between layers in rocks?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Biomarkers,or compounds preserved in rocks that derive from particular organisms,are a type of:

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What type of fossil forms when a shell pushes in soft sediment,leaving an impression that gets incorporated into the rock even if the shell itself dissolves away?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In which of the following rocks would you be most likely to find fossils?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is natural selection?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why was the Cambrian Explosion an important event in the evolution of life on the Earth?

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Which of the following is a brachiopod?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why is the preservation potential of an organism higher if it dies in an anoxic (oxygen-poor) environment?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A scientist who studies fossils is known as a(n)

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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?

Correct AnswerverifiedA

Impressions that organisms leave behind in soft sediment,such as footprint and burrows,can become what type of fossil?

Correct AnswerverifiedB

Study of the fossil record has revealed that species go extinct and new species evolve

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How is a mass extinction event different from extinction?

Correct AnswerverifiedAn extinction occurs when the ...View AnswerShow Answer

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A fossil is the remnants or traces of an...
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Fossils are found in sedimentary rocks a...
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See the im...
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C

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A

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B

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An extinction occurs when the ...
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