The Paleozoic Era

Practice Test
      
  1.What part of Laurentia was above sea level at the end of the Proterozoic?  
  a.   the passive margin  
  b.   the Great Divide  
  c.   the Taconic Range  
  d.   the Transcontinental Arch  
      
  2.How are microcontinents fused together?  
  a.   by seams called orogens  
  b.   the erosion of mountains  
  c.   by molten rock  
  d.   by seams called faults  
      
  3.What process is primarily responsible for the formation of Earth's oceans?  
  a.   plate tectonics  
  b.   sea-floor spreading  
  c.   evolution  
  d.   outgassing  
      
  4.The __________ is a famous sedimentary deposit containing fossils with hardparts and also preserved softparts from the Cambrian Period.  
  a.   Cyclothem  
  b.   Burgess Shale  
  c.   Cambrian Shale  
  d.   Burgess Sandstone  
      
  5.When did the first modern oceanographic expedition occur?  
  a.   1500s  
  b.   early 1950s  
  c.   late 1800s  
  d.   early 1800s  
      
  6.Which fossil shown in the figure would be most likely found in shale deposits?

Click here for figure

  
  a.   Bolivia marginata multicostata  
  b.   Hanzawaia boueana  
  c.   Valvulineri californica  
  d.   Bolivina granti  
      
  7.According to the figure, in which era or eon did life first emerge?

Era or Eon
Period
End Date

(million of years ago)
Length

(in million of years)
Life On Earth
Cenozoic
Quaternary
---
2
Humans
Neogene
1.6
64
Mammals diversify
Paleogene
23
80
Mesozoic
Cretaceous
66
Dinosaurs become extinct
Jurassic
146
62
Birds
Triassic
208
37
Dinosaurs, mammals
Paleozoic
Permian
245
45
Seed plants
Pennsylvanian

(carboniferous)
290
33
Reptiles diversify
Mississippian

(carboniferous)
323
39
Reptiles
Devonian
362
46
Amphibians
Silurian
408
31
Land invertebrates and plants
Ordovician
439
71
Fishes
Cambrian
510
30
Marine invertebrates
Proterozoic Eon

(Precambrian)
  
540
1960
Multicellular organisms
Archean

(Precambrian)
  
2500
2100
Early bacteria
 
4600
  
Birth of earth


 
  a.   Proterozoic  
  b.   Paleozoic  
  c.   Mesozoic  
  d.   Archean  
      
  8.How were asteroids and meteorites a heat source for Precambrian Earth?  
  a.   Their radioactive decay of isotopes generated energy.  
  b.   Their impact on Earth generated energy.  
  c.   Their bombardment of Earth caused them to sink to the core.  
  d.   Their gravitational contraction generated energy.  
      
  9.What characterizes an index fossil?  
  a.   abundant  
  b.   widely distributed geographically  
  c.   easily recognized  
  d.   all of these are correct  
      
  10.What type of marine organisms became dominate during the Mississippian?  
  a.   brachiopods  
  b.   crinoids  
  c.   fish  
  d.   trilobites  
      
  11.The energy and nutrients necessary for the origin of life can be found near __________.  
  a.   magma chambers  
  b.   transform faults  
  c.   hydrothermal vents  
  d.   trenches  
      
  12.Minerals with low densities crystallize from a magma at __________ denser minerals do.  
  a.   cooler temperatures than  
  b.   the same temperature as  
  c.   always 10 degrees less than  
  d.   hotter temperatures than  
      
  13.The oldest rocks on Earth are __________.  
  a.   1 to 2 billion years old  
  b.   1.6 to 1.8 million years old  
  c.   3.96 to 3.8 billion years old  
  d.   3.5 billion years old  
      
  14.What was the most important development of plants during the Devonian?  
  a.   food  
  b.   photosynthesis  
  c.   seeds  
  d.   roots  
      
  15.What geologic process released large amounts of water vapor into Earth's early atmosphere?  
  a.   melting of glacial ice  
  b.   precipitation as ice, water, or snow  
  c.   movement of ocean currents  
  d.   volcanic eruptions  
      
  16.A _________ is the unaltered remains of a once-living organism.  
  a.   trace fossil  
  b.   fossil with original preservation  
  c.   fossil with permineralization  
  d.   mold of a fossil  
      
  17.In what tectonic event did Avalonia collide with Laurasia?  
  a.   Acadian Orogeny  
  b.   Larimide Orogeny  
  c.   Caledonian Orogeny  
  d.   Taconic Orogeny  
      
  18.Why don't Archean and Proterozoic rocks have iron oxides?  
  a.   there wasn't any free oxygen in the atmosphere  
  b.   there was too much iron to be oxidized  
  c.   there weren't any stromatolites at that time  
  d.   there wasn't any iron in rocks of that age  
      
  19.How is climate different than weather?  
  a.   Climate describes only the average weather.  
  b.   Weather is more variable.  
  c.   Climate describes the long-term weather patterns.  
  d.   Weather is easier to predict.  
      
  20.According to the table, which of these climates are most likely to be found near the equator?

Type of Climates Description TitleDefining Characteristics
Tropical climates Tropical wet High temperatures year round

High rates of precipitation
Tropical wet and dry High temperatures year round

Wet summers, dry winters
Mild climates Marine west coast Cool summers, mild winters

Abundant precipitation
Mediterranean Warm summers, mild winters

Moderate precipitation
Humid subtropical Wet, warm summers

Dry, cool winters
Dry climates Semiarid Scarce vegetation

Little precipitation
Arid Very scarce vegetation

Very little precipitation
Continental climates Warm summer Warm summers, relatively cold winters

Moderate precipitation
Cool summer Cool summers, relatively cold winters

Moderate precipitation
Subartic Cold summers, cold winters

Moderate precipitation
Polar climates Tundra Cold year-round

Scarce vegetation
Ice cap Very cold year-round

No vegetation
High elevation Highlands Variation of polar climate on mountains
Uplands Variation of polar climate on high plateaus


 
  a.   tropical climates  
  b.   high elevation  
  c.   polar climates  
  d.   mild climates  

 
   
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