Nature of Science

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Scientists find a fossil of a fish on top of a mountain. What kind of evidence does the fossil provide scientists about the way this area might have changed over time?

a. It shows that fish were once able to live without water.

b. It shows that oceans can change quickly and become land.

c. It shows that the animals found on the mountain today evolved from fish.

d. It shows that the mountain may have once been under water and raised up by natural processes.

• a

• b

• c

• d

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Scientists have found evidence that suggests that parts of Florida were once underwater.

What kind of evidence could suggest this?

a. fossils found in igneous rock

b. fossils of marine animals

c. artifacts of tools once used for fishing

d. fossils of insects that can be found in Florida today

• a

• b

• c

• d

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Raj’s class is learning about natural processes that change Earth over long periods of time. Which example is NOT a natural process that changes Earth over time?

a. mining

b. earthquakes

c. erosion

d. weathering

• a

• b

• c

• d

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Fossils are the preserved remains of organisms that lived long ago. According to the law of superposition, the rock layers that contain fossils should be far below Earth’s surface. Which answer best explains why fossils are sometimes found at or near the surface?

a. Fossils are less dense than rock, so they rise to the surface.

b. Fossils are moved to the surface by other organisms.

c. Sedimentary rock layers are relatively soft, and new fossils sink through upper layers

into older, deeper layers.

d. Some rock layers with fossils have been exposed because of different processes, such as faulting, folding, and weathering.

• a

• b

• c

• d

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The rock layers that make up the Grand Canyon range in age from 2 billion to 230 million years. What would a scientist need in order to compare the ages of rocks from two different parts of the canyon?

a. the location of each rock

b. the size and hardness of each rock

c. the size of the crystals that make up each rock

d. the amounts of radioactive elements in each rock

• a

• b

• c

• d

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Many features of rocks offer clues to their ages. Which feature does NOT provide information about the age of a rock?

a. the position of the rock relative to other rock layers

b. the size of the crystals that make up the rock

c. the radioactive elements within the rock

d. the fossils found within the rock

• a

• b

• c

• d

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Fossils are the preserved remains of organisms that lived long ago. According to the law of superposition, the rock layers that contain fossils should be far below Earth’s surface. Which answer best explains why fossils are sometimes found at or near the surface?

a. Fossils are less dense than rock, so they rise to the surface.

b. Fossils are moved to the surface by other organisms.

c. Sedimentary rock layers are relatively soft, and new fossils sink through upper layers into older, deeper layers.

d. Some rock layers with fossils have been exposed because of different processes, such as faulting, folding, and weathering.

• a

• b

• c

• d

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You observe bacteria fossils in the upper layers of a rock you found in your backyard. However, you do not observe any fossils in the rock's bottom layers. Which of the following best support your observations?

• The rock formed very quickly due to the rapid changes of the rock.

• The top layers of any rock are much older than the bottom ones.

• The bottom layers of the rock could have formed before life occurred.

• The middle layers will determine the age of the rock and its composition.

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Which of the following best describe the processes of erosion and weathering?

• The transport of rocks and scratching of the rock below are both examples of weathering.

• The transport of the rocks is an example of erosion and the scratching of the rocks below is an example of weathering.

• The transport of the rocks is an example of weathering and the scratching of the rocks below is an example of erosion.

• The transport of rocks and scratching of the rock below are both examples of erosion.

A map of the Hawaiian Islands is shown. The island chain was formed by volcanic eruptions over a hot spot.

This geologic history provides information about the structure of the Eath's crust and supports the theory of plate tectonics. How do the Hawaiian Islands support the theory of plate tectonics?

• Each island is located on a different tectonic plate.

• The age of each island increases with distance from the hot spot.

• Hot spots form over subduction zones where tectonic plates come together.

• Hot spots occur at divergent plate boundaries commonly located in the middle of an ocean.

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