Question 1

Which of the following is false regarding absolute dating techniques?

Accepted Answer

A) They give geologic age in the form of a number ± some error. 
B) They often rely on the decay of radioactive isotopes. 
C) Each can work with any type of material. 
D) 14C and 40K/40Ar are two main methods. 
A) They give geologic age in the form of a number ± some error. 
B) They often rely on the decay of radioactive isotopes. 
C) Each can work with any type of material. 
D) 14C and 40K/40Ar are two main methods.

Question 2

Historically speaking, which came first in the science of giving ages to the fossil record?

Accepted Answer

A) numerical ages 
B) relative ages 
C) radiocarbon dating 
D) none of the above 
A) numerical ages 
B) relative ages 
C) radiocarbon dating 
D) none of the above

Question 3

A diagram (family tree) that proposes hypothetical ancestor-descendant relationships between species is a

Accepted Answer

A) chronology. 
B) phylogeny. 
C) dendrogram. 
D) lexigram. 
A) chronology. 
B) phylogeny. 
C) dendrogram. 
D) lexigram.

Question 4

The study of what happens to an organism's remains after death is called

Accepted Answer

A) archaeology. 
B) cryptozoology. 
C) biology. 
D) taphonomy. 
A) archaeology. 
B) cryptozoology. 
C) biology. 
D) taphonomy.

Question 5

Which U.S.president reported the discovery of a fossilized ground sloth in Virginia to the American Philosophical Society?

Accepted Answer

A) George Washington 
B) James Madison 
C) Thomas Jefferson 
D) John Adams 
A) George Washington 
B) James Madison 
C) Thomas Jefferson 
D) John Adams

Question 6

Differentiate between absolute and relative dating techniques, giving one example of each.

Accepted Answer

Relative dating consists of techniques f

Question 7

Studies of temperatures during the Cenozoic era suggest that

Accepted Answer

A) temperatures have steadily increased over time. 
B) temperatures have steadily decreased over time. 
C) temperatures have fluctuated, sometimes greatly, over time. 
D) temperatures have stayed basically the same over time. 
A) temperatures have steadily increased over time. 
B) temperatures have steadily decreased over time. 
C) temperatures have fluctuated, sometimes greatly, over time. 
D) temperatures have stayed basically the same over time.

Question 8

Which geological time period is referred to by geologists as the oldest portion of Earth's history, accounting for roughly 87% of that history?

Accepted Answer

A) Triassic period 
B) Pleistocene epoch 
C) Paleozoic era 
D) Precambrian eon 
A) Triassic period 
B) Pleistocene epoch 
C) Paleozoic era 
D) Precambrian eon

Question 9

Why is the fossil record important to the study of evolution? What are the limitations of the fossil record?

Accepted Answer

The fossil record provides the only dire

Question 10

The earth is about ________ old.

Accepted Answer

A) 2.5 million years 
B) 4.6 billion years 
C) 1 million years 
D) 50 billion years 
A) 2.5 million years 
B) 4.6 billion years 
C) 1 million years 
D) 50 billion years

Question 11

The ratio of C₃ to C₄ plants in a paleoenvironment can be estimated using the ratio of two stable isotopes of which element derived from fossils or ancient soils?

Accepted Answer

A) oxygen 
B) nitrogen 
C) carbon 
D) strontium 
A) oxygen 
B) nitrogen 
C) carbon 
D) strontium

Question 12

Which of the following has the greatest likelihood of becoming fossilized?

Accepted Answer

A) muscle tissue 
B) teeth 
C) skin 
D) vertebrae 
A) muscle tissue 
B) teeth 
C) skin 
D) vertebrae

Question 13

________ is the process of matching strata from several sites using chemical, physical, and other properties.

Accepted Answer

A) Phyletic gradualism 
B) Stratigraphic correlation 
C) Steno's law of superimposition 
D) Convergent evolution 
A) Phyletic gradualism 
B) Stratigraphic correlation 
C) Steno's law of superimposition 
D) Convergent evolution

Question 14

While on a paleontological dig in the United Kingdom, you come across a completely preserved (including skin) extinct species of mammal within a bog.You note that for a mammal it is relatively hairless.In order to determine the adaptive significance of hairlessness, you must

Accepted Answer

A) find an expert on mammals of this region and turn the find over to that person. 
B) collect data that will help you to reconstruct the environment of that time. 
C) determine the closest extant relative of this species and study it for better understanding of the extinct species. 
D) none of the above. 
A) find an expert on mammals of this region and turn the find over to that person. 
B) collect data that will help you to reconstruct the environment of that time. 
C) determine the closest extant relative of this species and study it for better understanding of the extinct species. 
D) none of the above.

Question 15

Which of the following is true about the process of fossilization?

Accepted Answer

A) Rapid burial impedes fossilization. 
B) Remains must be covered in water to fossilize. 
C) Remains must be surrounded by an oxygen-free environment for fossilization to occur. 
D) Remains must be free of traumatic injury in order to fossilize. 
A) Rapid burial impedes fossilization. 
B) Remains must be covered in water to fossilize. 
C) Remains must be surrounded by an oxygen-free environment for fossilization to occur. 
D) Remains must be free of traumatic injury in order to fossilize.

Question 16

In terms of geologic time, when did human beings appear on Earth?

Accepted Answer

A) very recently 
B) a long time ago 
C) at the same time as dinosaurs 
D) at the same time as sharks 
A) very recently 
B) a long time ago 
C) at the same time as dinosaurs 
D) at the same time as sharks

Question 17

The English surveyor who developed the technique of stratigraphic correlation between regions was

Accepted Answer

A) William Smith. 
B) Charles Lyell. 
C) Alfred Wallace. 
D) Richard Owen. 
A) William Smith. 
B) Charles Lyell. 
C) Alfred Wallace. 
D) Richard Owen.

Question 18

Recent paleoenvironmental reconstructions suggest that the earliest members of the hominid lineage evolved in

Accepted Answer

A) dense tropical forests. 
B) wide-open savanna grasslands. 
C) glacial tundra environments. 
D) woodlands along both rivers and lakes. 
A) dense tropical forests. 
B) wide-open savanna grasslands. 
C) glacial tundra environments. 
D) woodlands along both rivers and lakes.

Question 19

The chemical signature of volcanic ash layers can be used to

Accepted Answer

A) date ancient fishes. 
B) correlate sites across vast regions. 
C) date foraminifera. 
D) date ancient trees. 
A) date ancient fishes. 
B) correlate sites across vast regions. 
C) date foraminifera. 
D) date ancient trees.

Question 20

How might living organisms' evolution have been affected by the movement of landmasses over time (plate tectonics)?

Accepted Answer

Geologists have established quite convin

Which of the following is false regarding absolute dating techniques?

Historically speaking, which came first in the science of giving ages to the fossil record?

A diagram (family tree) that proposes hypothetical ancestor-descendant relationships between species is a

The study of what happens to an organism's remains after death is called

Which U.S.president reported the discovery of a fossilized ground sloth in Virginia to the American Philosophical Society?

Differentiate between absolute and relative dating techniques, giving one example of each.

Studies of temperatures during the Cenozoic era suggest that

Which geological time period is referred to by geologists as the oldest portion of Earth's history, accounting for roughly 87% of that history?

Why is the fossil record important to the study of evolution? What are the limitations of the fossil record?

The earth is about ________ old.

The ratio of C₃ to C₄ plants in a paleoenvironment can be estimated using the ratio of two stable isotopes of which element derived from fossils or ancient soils?

Which of the following has the greatest likelihood of becoming fossilized?

________ is the process of matching strata from several sites using chemical, physical, and other properties.

While on a paleontological dig in the United Kingdom, you come across a completely preserved (including skin) extinct species of mammal within a bog.You note that for a mammal it is relatively hairless.In order to determine the adaptive significance of hairlessness, you must

Which of the following is true about the process of fossilization?

In terms of geologic time, when did human beings appear on Earth?

The English surveyor who developed the technique of stratigraphic correlation between regions was

Recent paleoenvironmental reconstructions suggest that the earliest members of the hominid lineage evolved in

The chemical signature of volcanic ash layers can be used to

How might living organisms' evolution have been affected by the movement of landmasses over time (plate tectonics)?

What Is Physical Anthropology?

Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory

Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing Variation

Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics

Biology in the Present: Living People

Biology in the Present: The Other Living Primates

Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture

Primate Origins and Evolution: the First 50 Million Years

Early Hominid Origins and Evolution: the Roots of Humanity

The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo

The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People

Our Last 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, and Biology

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Exam 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature

Which of the following is false regarding absolute dating techniques?

Historically speaking, which came first in the science of giving ages to the fossil record?

A diagram (family tree) that proposes hypothetical ancestor-descendant relationships between species is a

The study of what happens to an organism's remains after death is called

Which U.S.president reported the discovery of a fossilized ground sloth in Virginia to the American Philosophical Society?

Differentiate between absolute and relative dating techniques, giving one example of each.

Studies of temperatures during the Cenozoic era suggest that

Which geological time period is referred to by geologists as the oldest portion of Earth's history, accounting for roughly 87% of that history?

Why is the fossil record important to the study of evolution? What are the limitations of the fossil record?

The earth is about ________ old.

The ratio of C₃ to C₄ plants in a paleoenvironment can be estimated using the ratio of two stable isotopes of which element derived from fossils or ancient soils?

Which of the following has the greatest likelihood of becoming fossilized?

________ is the process of matching strata from several sites using chemical, physical, and other properties.

While on a paleontological dig in the United Kingdom, you come across a completely preserved (including skin) extinct species of mammal within a bog.You note that for a mammal it is relatively hairless.In order to determine the adaptive significance of hairlessness, you must

Which of the following is true about the process of fossilization?

In terms of geologic time, when did human beings appear on Earth?

The English surveyor who developed the technique of stratigraphic correlation between regions was

Recent paleoenvironmental reconstructions suggest that the earliest members of the hominid lineage evolved in

The chemical signature of volcanic ash layers can be used to

How might living organisms' evolution have been affected by the movement of landmasses over time (plate tectonics)?

What Is Physical Anthropology?

Evolution: Constructing a Fundamental Scientific Theory

Genetics: Reproducing Life and Producing Variation

Genes and Their Evolution: Population Genetics

Biology in the Present: Living People

Biology in the Present: The Other Living Primates

Primate Sociality, Social Behavior, and Culture

Primate Origins and Evolution: the First 50 Million Years

Early Hominid Origins and Evolution: the Roots of Humanity

The Origins and Evolution of Early Homo

The Origins, Evolution, and Dispersal of Modern People

Our Last 10,000 Years: Agriculture, Population, and Biology

Filters