The Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras
Practice Test
1.
What was the most important development of plants during the Devonian?
a.
food
b.
photosynthesis
c.
seeds
d.
roots
2.
What is a pterosaur?
a.
a swimming reptile that resembles a modern dolphin
b.
a flying reptile that had light, hollow bones like modern birds
c.
a modern-day turtle that evolved in the Mesozic Era
d.
a mammal that lived in the Mesozoic grasslands
3.
A _________ is the unaltered remains of a once-living organism.
a.
fossil with permineralization
b.
fossil with original preservation
c.
mold of a fossil
d.
trace fossil
4.
What isotope is used for finding the age of materials that are organic in origin?
a.
thorium-232
b.
uranium-238
c.
potassium-40
d.
carbon-14
5.
According to the map, which area was least likely to feel the effect of glaciation during the most recent Ice Ages?
a.
Canada
b.
the Northeast
c.
the Great Lakes region
d.
Texas
6.
A __________ occurs when sea level rises and the shoreline moves inland.
a.
orogenic event
b.
transgression
c.
regression
d.
passive margin
7.
How did the Himalaya mountains form?
a.
an oceanic plate that was subducted under a continental plate
b.
a continent-to-continent collision
c.
hot spot activity
d.
uplifted normal fault blocks
8.
What is a sauropod dinosaur?
a.
a quadrupedal dinosaur
b.
a herbivorous dinosaur
c.
one type of saurischian dinosaur
d.
all of the above
9.
What characterizes an index fossil?
a.
widely distributed geographically
b.
abundant
c.
easily recognized
d.
all of these are correct
10.
According to the figures, which is the only organism that lived through the Cenozoic Era?
a.
Mytilus
b.
Aeger
c.
Crateraster
d.
Pleurotomaria
11.
What event caused the extinction of acritarchs near the end of the Proterozoic?
a.
outgassing
b.
the Varagnian glaciation
c.
global warming
d.
formation of ozone
12.
Use the figures to place the following organisms in order from least recent to most recent.
a.
Aeger, Crateraster, Gonioteuthis
b.
Gonioteuthis, Aeger, Crateraster
c.
Crateraster, Aeger, Gonioteuthis
d.
Ager, Gonioteuthis, Crateraster
13.
What type of process is demonstrated in the figure?
a.
regression
b.
transgression
c.
aggression
d.
subgression
14.
Which fossil shown in the figure would be most likely found in shale deposits?
Click here for figure
a.
Bolivina granti
b.
Hanzawaia boueana
c.
Valvulineri californica
d.
Bolivia marginata multicostata
15.
According to the table, what were the first organisms to evolve on Earth?
Event Or First Evidence In Fossil Record
Approximate Geological Time
Bacteria
3 b.y.b.p
Green algae
1 b.y.b.p
Jellyfish
600 m.y.b.p
Ediacara organisms
550 m.y.b.p
Eurypterids*
510 m.y.b.p
Horn corals*
500 m.y.b.p
First vertebrates
480 m.y.b.p
Spiders
400 m.y.b.p
Sharks
400 m.y.b.p
First jawed fish*
380 m.y.b.p
Ferns
350 m.y.b.p
Earthworms
300 m.y.b.p
Great Permian Extinction Event
250 m.y.b.p
Drastic geographic and climatic changes
248 m.y.b.p
First dinosaurs*
220 m.y.b.p
First mammals
210 m.y.b.p
Ginkgo biloba
200 m.y.b.p
Abundant ammonites*
180 m.y.b.p
Archaeopteryx*
140 m.y.b.p
First flowering plants
120 m.y.b.p
Ants
100 m.y.b.p
Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction Event
66 m.y.b.p
Camel
35 m.y.b.p
Grass
20 m.y.b.p
Australopithecus afarensis (“Lucy”)
4 m.y.b.p
a.
green algae
b.
bacteria
c.
jellyfish
d.
ediacara organisms
16.
According to the table, what is the half-life of Thorium-234?
Days Elapsed
Grams Of Thorium – 234 Remaining
0
16
12
11
24
8
36
6
a.
16 days
b.
8 days
c.
20 days
d.
24 days
17.
What caused Pangaea to break apart?
a.
lithospheric compression and thrust faulting
b.
compressional forces that pushed Pangaea to the north
c.
a heat source beneath the continental crust
d.
an upwelling on the western side of Pangaea
18.
The breakup of Pangaea resulted in __________.
a.
the formation of the Appalachian Mountains
b.
the formation of the Atlantic Ocean
c.
the formation of the Pacific Ocean
d.
the formation of a supercontinent
19.
Reptiles evolved from amphibians and developed __________.
a.
a more-developed hip-bone
b.
an amniotic egg
c.
better vision
d.
a jaw with fewer teeth
20.
What type of economic deposit can be the indirect result of calcium carbonate reefs?
a.
oil and gold
b.
halite and fossils
c.
gypsum and halite
d.
pyrite and gypsum
