Question 1

The Danish physician who developed the geologic principle of superposition,according to which rocks (and fossils)higher in a sequence are younger than those buried farther down,was:

Accepted Answer

A)  Charles Lyell.
B)  Niels Stensen (aka Nicolaus Steno) .
C)  William Smith.
D)  James Hutton. B

Question 2

The significant drying up of the Mediterranean Basin at the end of the Oligocene epoch was probably due to:

Accepted Answer

A)  an intense period of global warming.
B)  the African Plate rotating away from the Eurasian Plate.
C)  the appearance of huge ice sheets in Antarctica.
D)  the formation of the Alps. C

Question 3

Historically speaking,scientists were able to provide relative ages for fossils before they were able to provide numerical ages.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 4

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

Question 5

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

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

Question 7

Paleomagnetic dating relies on:

Accepted Answer

A)  dating unstable iron isotopes.
B)  the periodic reversal of the earth's magnetic poles.
C)  chemical reactions between iron-bearing rocks and acidic groundwater.
D)  the use of hand magnets to draw sediments out of the ground.

Question 8

C4 plants are associated with open grasslands typical of tropical savannahs.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

In an excavation you notice that near the surface there are multiple strata in which you find the remains of multiple trilobites with the same type of exoskeleton.Beneath this is a layer where you see an individual with this type of exoskeleton in addition to many with a differing type of exoskeleton.Farther beneath this layer you find multiple strata containing the remains of trilobites with the second type of exoskeleton.This indicates which of the following?

Accepted Answer

A)  It shows a period of stasis,followed by a punctuated speciation event,followed by another period of stasis.
B)  It indicates that two species of trilobites have always existed in this particular location.
C)  It marks the beginning of an adaptive radiation of trilobite species.
D)  It indicates a gradual evolution of trilobites.

Question 10

The chart that shows the different time periods in Earth's history and also indicates significant evolutionary events is called the:

Accepted Answer

A)  temporal display.
B)  geologic time scale.
C)  paleochart.
D)  virtual time machine.

Question 11

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

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT one of the main methods for reconstructing ancient environments?

Accepted Answer

A)  stable carbon isotope analysis of fossils and of soils
B)  40K/40Ar analysis of lava flows and of ash layers
C)  oxygen isotope analysis of marine microorganisms
D)  faunal analysis of habitat-specific species

Question 13

Rapid burial after death usually impedes fossilization.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 15

The first logical step in a sequence of events that leads to the discovery and analysis of primate fossils is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  naming of the fossils.
B)  recovery of the fossils.
C)  comparison with other fossils.
D)  selection and surveying of potential sites.

Question 16

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 17

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

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

Question 19

If fossil species A is consistently recovered from geological deposits beneath layers containing fossil species B,then A is considered 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 20

With a half-life of 5,730 years,14C dating is useful for dating carbonbearing objects as far back as:

Accepted Answer

A)  50,000 years ago.
B)  500,000 years ago.
C)  5 mya.
D)  50 mya.

Exam 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature

The Danish physician who developed the geologic principle of superposition,according to which rocks (and fossils) higher in a sequence are younger than those buried farther down,was: