Question 1

Fission track dating can provide dates when used on which type of material?

Accepted Answer

A)   sedimentary rock
B)   shell
C)   bone
D)   igneous rock D

Question 2

Analysis of stable carbon isotopes in ________ can provide information on ancient diet.

Accepted Answer

A)   shell
B)   cloth
C)   bones and teeth
D)   wood C

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

A hearth is discovered with bone fragments in it.What method might be used to date the bone?

Accepted Answer

A)   dendrochronology
B)   electron spin resonance
C)   fission track
D)   amino acid

Question 5

Earth's age is ________ billion years, and life on Earth began about ________ billion years ago.

Accepted Answer

A)   4.6; 3.5
B)   3.4; 2.5
C)   7; 5.2
D)   12; 3.6

Question 6

A mummy is discovered whose tomb includes cloth, food, and other organic remains.What dating method would MOST likely be used to date the tomb?

Accepted Answer

A)   biostratigraphy
B)   carbon 14
C)   dendrochronology
D)   electron spin resonance

Question 7

Which of the following would NOT be an ideal environment for fossilization?

Accepted Answer

A)   mud (as in a swamp) 
B)   acidic soil (as in a jungle) 
C)   sand
D)   rock

Question 8

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.

Question 9

What is the MOST important variable in reconstructing ancient climate?

Accepted Answer

A)   weather
B)   sea levels
C)   temperature estimated using any of several methods
D)   isotope ratios

Question 10

The time it takes for 50% of an unstable isotope to decay to a stable form is called the

Accepted Answer

A)   semichron.
B)   middlemorph.
C)   demidose.
D)   half-life.

Question 11

Electron spin resonance dating can provide dates when used on which type of material?

Accepted Answer

A)   wood
B)   shell
C)   teeth
D)   soft tissue such as muscle

Question 12

Igneous rock can be dated with which of the following methods?

Accepted Answer

A)   radiopotassium dating
B)   dendrochronology
C)   radiocarbon dating
D)   fluorine dating

Question 13

The study of fossils is called

Accepted Answer

A)   phylogeny.
B)   biology.
C)   chronometry.
D)   paleontology.

Question 14

The molecular clock has been useful to determine the phylogenetic relationships of species based on the assumption that

Accepted Answer

A)   a species lineage accumulates genetic differences over time at a constant rate.
B)   only some species are genetically related.
C)   DNA is preserved unchanged over long periods of time.
D)   species adapt at specific rates.

Question 15

If fossil species A is consistently recovered from geological deposits beneath layers containing fossil species B, then A is considered to be older than B.This relative dating technique is based on the principle of

Accepted Answer

A)   superposition.
B)   paleomagnetism.
C)   fluorine analysis.
D)   geolayering.

Question 16

Thermoluminescence dating can provide dates when used on which types of materials?

Accepted Answer

A)   sediment, stone, and ceramics
B)   bone, wood, and stone
C)   bone, shell, and fabric
D)   shell, ceramics, and wood

Question 17

Which era saw the proliferation of mammals?

Accepted Answer

A)   Holocene
B)   Cenozoic
C)   Jurassic
D)   Mesozoic

Question 18

What is the basic difference between relative and absolute dating?

Accepted Answer

A)   the use of species
B)   the use of bones and teeth
C)   the use of years to express age
D)   the use of wood

Question 19

To reconstruct and interpret evolutionary changes, it is crucial to place each fossil in time.This is called a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)   chronological sequence.
B)   era.
C)   period.
D)   phylogeny.

Question 20

The continent that existed about 200 mya, from which the modern continents ultimately emerged, is called

Accepted Answer

A)   Eurasia.
B)   Afrinesia.
C)   Australasia.
D)   Pangaea.

Exam 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature