The Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras
Practice Test
1.
According to the tables, which is the oldest organism?
a.
Crateraster
b.
Cypridea
c.
Pleurotomaria
d.
Aeger
2.
What is the Mesozoic commonly referred to?
a.
the Age of the First Mammals
b.
the Age of Humans
c.
the Age of Reptiles
d.
the Permo-Triassic Extinction age
3.
According to the tables, how long ago did Gonioteuthis exist?
a.
about 150 million years ago
b.
about 200 million years ago
c.
about 70 million years ago
d.
about 240 million years ago
4.
When was the northern hemisphere ice age?
a.
the late Pleistocene only
b.
the late Pliocene through the Pleistocene
c.
the Holocene only
d.
the Miocene and early Pleistocene
5.
The Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest of the United States are the result of __________.
a.
two contintental plates that collided
b.
a continental plate that moved over the East Pacific Rise
c.
extensional forces that caused the Basin and Range Province
d.
an oceanic plate that was subducted under a continental plate
6.
The second orogeny in western North America was characterized by __________.
a.
low-angle thrust faults and folds
b.
vertical uplifts
c.
folding
d.
igneous intrusions
7.
What caused Pangaea to break apart?
a.
lithospheric compression and thrust faulting
b.
a heat source beneath the continental crust
c.
an upwelling on the western side of Pangaea
d.
compressional forces that pushed Pangaea to the north
8.
According to the map, which area was least likely to feel the effect of glaciation during the most recent Ice Ages?
a.
the Northeast
b.
the Great Lakes region
c.
Texas
d.
Canada
9.
The last major orogeny in western North America was characterized by __________.
a.
vertical uplifts
b.
low-angle faults and folds
c.
igneous intrusions
d.
folding
10.
The breakup of Pangaea resulted in __________.
a.
the formation of a supercontinent
b.
the formation of the Appalachian Mountains
c.
the formation of the Atlantic Ocean
d.
the formation of the Pacific Ocean
11.
What type of flowering plant appeared during the Eocene?
a.
angiosperms
b.
conifers
c.
cycads
d.
grasses
12.
Hominids and hominoids are primates. What characteristic defines the difference between the two?
a.
Hominids are bipedal.
b.
Hominoids have greater manual dexterity.
c.
Hominoids have smaller canine teeth.
d.
Hominids have smaller brains.
13.
What type of mammal is defined by the development of specialized traits including a grasping hand, stereoscopic vision, and a large brain?
a.
giant ground sloths
b.
hominids
c.
primates
d.
horses
14.
What characteristic of dinosaurs distinguishes them from other reptiles?
a.
Dinosaurs were herbivores and carnivores.
b.
the large range of sizes of dinosaurs
c.
the upright posture of dinosaurs
d.
Most reptiles lived in the oceans during the Mesozoic.
15.
How did the Himalaya mountains form?
a.
hot spot activity
b.
an oceanic plate that was subducted under a continental plate
c.
uplifted normal fault blocks
d.
a continent-to-continent collision
16.
During the Mesozoic Era, the sea level __________.
a.
constantly rose and flooded North America
b.
rose in the Triassic and Jurassic but dropped in the Cretaceous
c.
dropped at the end of the Triassic but rose throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous
d.
continuously rose
17.
Use the figures to place the following organisms in order from least recent to most recent.
a.
Ager, Gonioteuthis, Crateraster
b.
Aeger, Crateraster, Gonioteuthis
c.
Crateraster, Aeger, Gonioteuthis
d.
Gonioteuthis, Aeger, Crateraster
18.
What is a sauropod dinosaur?
a.
one type of saurischian dinosaur
b.
a quadrupedal dinosaur
c.
all of the above
d.
a herbivorous dinosaur
19.
What is the modern fauna?
a.
marine organisms such as crabs, lobsters, snails, and clams
b.
marine organisms such as bony fishes, aquatic reptiles, sharks, and aquatic mammals
c.
marine organisms that evolved during the Mesozoic Era
d.
all of the above
20.
The oldest orogeny in western North America was characterized by __________.
a.
thrust faulting and igneous intrusions
b.
folding
c.
thrust faulting
d.
igneous intrusions
