Geologic Time
Practice Test
1.
__________ are ancestors of reptiles.
a.
Mammals
b.
Birds
c.
Dinosaurs
d.
Amphibians
Hint
2.
Two organisms look alike but they do not interbreed naturally. They are __________.
a.
from the same species
b.
both mammals
c.
extinct
d.
from different species
Hint
3.
Order the divisions of geologic time from the longest to the shortest.
a.
epochs, periods, eras, eons
b.
eons, eras, periods, epochs
c.
periods, epochs, eras, eons
d.
eons, epochs, eras, periods
Hint
4.
The longest section of Earth's history was __________.
a.
Precambrian time
b.
Cretaceous period
c.
Paleozoic Era
d.
Cenozoic Era
Hint
5.
What is an example of an index fossil?
a.
Tyrannosaurus rex
b.
jellyfish
c.
trilobites
d.
humans
Hint
6.
Where did the oxygen in Earth's atmosphere come from originally?
a.
from animals
b.
from plants
c.
from rocks
d.
from cyanobacteria
Hint
7.
What was Pangaea?
a.
the original name for North America
b.
a large, single landmass
c.
a geologic era
d.
a type of trilobite
Hint
8.
Which of the following is NOT a description of the current view of dinosaurs?
a.
nurturing their young
b.
fast-moving
c.
warm-blooded
d.
cold-blooded
Hint
9.
How can plate tectonics contribute to evolution?
a.
The movement of plates forces some animals underground.
b.
Volcanic eruptions can cause species to become extinct.
c.
Radiation from plate tectonics can cause genetic change.
d.
Separating plates can divide groups of a population
Hint
10.
What geologic era do you live in?
a.
Paleozoic
b.
Mesozoic
c.
Cenozoic
d.
Precambrian
Hint
11.
The Appalachian Mountains, an old mountain range, was formed during what era?
a.
Paleozoic
b.
Cenozoic
c.
Mesozoic
d.
Precambrian
Hint
12.
When did Pangaea break up?
a.
in the Cenozoic Era
b.
in the Mesozoic Era
c.
in Archean time
d.
in Precambrian time
Hint
13.
What occurs at the end of a geologic era?
a.
a mountain-building event
b.
a comet hitting Earth
c.
a flood
d.
an extinction
Hint
14.
Which of the following is a species common during the Paleozoic Era?
a.
Homo sapiens
b.
Ediacara life-forms
c.
trilobites
d.
dinosaurs
Hint
15.
What types of animals dominate the Cenozoic Era?
a.
trilobites
b.
dinosaurs
c.
mammals
d.
reptiles
Hint
16.
What is NOT a characteristic of mammals?
a.
hair or fur
b.
warm-blooded
c.
produce milk to feed young
d.
cold-blooded
Hint
17.
What are Ediacara life-forms?
a.
direct ancestors of Cambrian life-forms
b.
unique organisms that went extinct
c.
alien life-forms
d.
no one knows for sure
Hint
18.
What is organic evolution?
a.
the change of organisms over time
b.
the way organisms remain the same over time
c.
evolution of nonliving things
d.
evolution resulting from chemicals
Hint
19.
How did trilobite eyes develop?
a.
They all had complex eye structures.
b.
They all developed without eyes.
c.
They developed the same way for all species.
d.
They developed into many different forms over millions of years.
Hint
20.
Which of the following is an example of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection?
a.
Giraffes that stretch their necks have necks that grow longer.
b.
Insects that blend into trees survive because they are not seen, and thus not eaten, by birds.
c.
Native Americans do not kill an albino animal because it is thought to be bad luck.
d.
A breeder of cats specifically chooses cats to breed that have long, white fur.
Hint
