Section #: 24.2
Mesozoic Life
Practice Test
1.
According to the tables, how long ago did Gonioteuthis exist?
a.
about 240 million years ago
b.
about 200 million years ago
c.
about 150 million years ago
d.
about 70 million years ago
Hint
2.
Why are ammonites good index fossils of the Mesozoic Era?
a.
Ammonite fossils are widespread.
b.
all of the above
c.
Ammonites were abundant and diverse throughout the Mesozoic and became extinct at the end of the Mesozoic.
d.
Ammonite species were shortlived.
Hint
3.
What did all ornithischian dinosaurs have in common?
a.
They were large.
b.
All were herbivores.
c.
They were bipedal.
d.
They were carnivores.
Hint
4.
According to the tables, which is the oldest organism?
a.
Aeger
b.
Cypridea
c.
Crateraster
d.
Pleurotomaria
Hint
5.
What is a sauropod dinosaur?
a.
a herbivorous dinosaur
b.
all of the above
c.
a quadrupedal dinosaur
d.
one type of saurischian dinosaur
Hint
6.
Which new plant evolved during the Cretaceous and dominated the terrestrial landscape?
a.
grasses
b.
conifers
c.
angiosperms
d.
cycads
Hint
7.
What theory may explain the mass extinction event at the end of the Mesozic Era?
a.
the Big Bang theory
b.
the meteorite impact theory
c.
the theory of plate tectonics
d.
the theory of evolution
Hint
8.
How do scientists distinguish between mammals and reptile fossils?
a.
the ear bone structure only
b.
by the shape of the teeth, number of ear bones, and the number of lower jawbones
c.
the presence or absence of a wishbone
d.
by their hip-bones and the shape of their teeth
Hint
9.
What characteristic of dinosaurs distinguishes them from other reptiles?
a.
the upright posture of dinosaurs
b.
the large range of sizes of dinosaurs
c.
Most reptiles lived in the oceans during the Mesozoic.
d.
Dinosaurs were herbivores and carnivores.
Hint
10.
What is a pterosaur?
a.
a modern-day turtle that evolved in the Mesozic Era
b.
a swimming reptile that resembles a modern dolphin
c.
a mammal that lived in the Mesozoic grasslands
d.
a flying reptile that had light, hollow bones like modern birds
Hint
11.
What is a rudist?
a.
the base of the food chain in Mesozoic oceans
b.
an asymmetic clam that built reefs during the Cretaceous Period
c.
a photosynthetic phytoplankton that evolved during the Mesozic Era
d.
a reef-building coral that evolved at the end of the Triassic Period
Hint
12.
What is the Mesozoic commonly referred to?
a.
the Age of Humans
b.
the Permo-Triassic Extinction age
c.
the Age of Reptiles
d.
the Age of the First Mammals
Hint
