History of Earth - Assessment

Which of these is most likely to become a carbon film?

• a dinosaur leg bone
• a sea creature’s shell
• a flowering plant
• a tree trunk

Choose the image that shows a cast.

• 
• 
• 

Which sources would preserve the soft tissues of an early mammal? Check all that apply.

• amber in Russia
• frozen soil in the Arctic
• ice sheets in Greenland
• shale in Virginia
• sandstone in the Badlands

What is a hollow fossil that marks the shape of an organism?

• mold
• cast
• trace fossil
• petrified fossil

Which statement about how geologists study the ages of rock layers is true?

• The law of superposition means that older rocks are on top.
• Geologists can find the exact age of a rock by looking at its relative position.
• The principle of original horizontality provides the basis for the law of superposition.
• Relative age can be determined by using the concept of unconformity.

Use the law of superposition to choose the correct answer for the following questions about rock layers and relative age. Which layer is the oldest?

• 10
• 9
• 8
• 7

Use the law of superposition to choose the correct answer for the following questions about rock layers and relative age. Which layers were deposited before layer 10?

• 8 and 9
• 7 and 8
• 6 and 7
• none

Use the law of superposition to choose the correct answer for the following questions about rock layers and relative age. Which layer is older than layer 5?

• layer 1
• layer 3
• layer 2
• layer 6

What are the building blocks of all matter?

• atoms
• elements
• compounds
• ions

Which statements about radioactive decay are true? Check all that apply.

• Most elements are unstable
• Radioactive decay happens when one kind of atom becomes another kind.
• Radioactive elements occur in nature
• All elements have the same rate of decay.
• Carbon-14 decays into nitrogen-14.