The Paleozoic Era
Practice Test
1.
What mountain-building event was the result of an ocean-continental collision during the Middle Ordovician?
a.
Acadian Orogeny
b.
Taconic Orogeny
c.
Larimide Orogeny
d.
Antler Orogeny
2.
When did plants start to colonize land?
a.
Late Holocene
b.
Late Devonian
c.
Late Ordovician
d.
Early Cambrian
3.
A vertical sequence of limestone-shale-sandstone is evidence of __________.
a.
a regression
b.
a passive margin
c.
a transgression
d.
an orogenic event
4.
What type of marine organisms became dominate during the Mississippian?
a.
brachiopods
b.
trilobites
c.
fish
d.
crinoids
5.
What part of Laurentia was above sea level at the end of the Proterozoic?
a.
the Taconic Range
b.
the passive margin
c.
the Great Divide
d.
the Transcontinental Arch
6.
What type of process is demonstrated in the figure?
a.
aggression
b.
regression
c.
subgression
d.
transgression
7.
A __________ is a repeating sequence of sedimentary facies that record change in sea level.
a.
glacial till
b.
delta
c.
cyclothem
d.
clastic wedge
8.
Why is the beginning of the Cambrian called the Cambrian explosion?
a.
because of the intense volcanic activity
b.
because there were only active margins
c.
because there were still a significant number of meteor impacts
d.
because there was a significant increase in the diversity of life
9.
What kind of margins was Laurentia surrounded by during the Cambrian Period?
a.
active margins
b.
orogenic margins
c.
passive margins
d.
transform margins
10.
What is one possible reason for the mass extinction during the late Devonian?
a.
tectonics
b.
sea-level rise
c.
global warming
d.
global cooling
11.
A __________ is a distinct set of sediments that are eroded from major mountains chains.
a.
meandering deposit
b.
clastic wedge
c.
cut bank
d.
symmetrical ripple
12.
What is an organic reef?
a.
a large pile of fish bones primarily deposited during the Devonian
b.
an assemblage of the Paleozoic fauna
c.
a mass extinction event
d.
a structure made of the calcium carbonate skeletons from once-living organisms
13.
What causes the type of sedimentation shown at the far right of the figure?
a.
carbonate-rich sediments
b.
gravel-rich sediments
c.
clay-rich sediments
d.
sand-rich sediments
14.
What was the most important development of plants during the Devonian?
a.
photosynthesis
b.
food
c.
seeds
d.
roots
15.
Which plant type did NOT occur during the Devonian Period?
a.
lycopods
b.
sphenopsids
c.
grasses
d.
ferns
