Assume It Is Possible to Remove Continuous Cores of Rock

Multiple Choice

Assume it is possible to remove continuous cores of rock from Earth that are 3,000 feet long and contain fossils. What would the theory of evolution by natural selection predict about the fossils found in such cores as they are examined from top to bottom?

A) Fossil forms are arranged in random patterns.
B) The number of fossils decreases from top to bottom, but the number of species increases.
C) Higher fossils are more similar to living species than to lower fossils.
D) Lower fossils are more similar to living species than to higher fossils.
E) Fossil species remain constant from top to bottom.