Deck 8: Fossils and Their Place in Time and Nature

Question 1

Now-fossilized foraminifera with shells enriched in 18O lived during relatively warm periods.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

In terms of geologic time,human beings are a very recent arrival on Earth.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Dendrochronology is an absolute dating method.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

If fossil species A is consistently recovered from geological deposits beneath layers containing fossil species B,then A is considered older than B.This relative dating technique is based on the principle of:

A)superposition.
B)paleomagnetism.
C)fluorine analysis.
D)geolayering.

Question 5

Historically speaking,scientists were able to provide relative ages for fossils before they were able to provide numerical ages.

Question 6

The theory that species persist for long periods and then undergo rapid spurts of evolutionary change is:

A)phyletic gradualism.
B)punctuated equilibrium.
C)parallel evolution.
D)convergent evolution.

Question 7

As recently as a few hundred years ago,most Westerners thought the earth was about how many years old?

A)60,000,000
B)6,000,000
C)60,000
D)6,000

Question 8

Fossils representing most of the living groups of animals (e.g.,fish,insects,mammals)derive from the Precambrian eon.

Question 9

C4 plants are associated with open grasslands typical of tropical savannahs.

Question 10

The study of what happens to an organism's remains after death is:

A)archaeology.
B)cryptozoology.
C)biology.
D)taphonomy.

Question 11

The English surveyor who developed the technique of stratigraphic correlation between regions was:

A)William Smith.
B)Charles Lyell.
C)Alfred Wallace.
D)Richard Owen.

Question 12

One of the only fossil sites in the world that preserves a great deal of evidence for anthropoid evolution during the Eocene and Oligocene epochs is:

A)Cambria,England.
B)Zhoukoudian,China.
C)Fayum,Egypt.
D)Solnhofen,Germany.

Question 13

The earth is about 4.6 billion years old.

Question 14

The "supercontinent" that existed about 200 mya,from which the modern continents ultimately emerged,is called:

A)Eurasia.
B)Afronesia.
C)Australasia.
D)Pangaea.

Question 15

Fossils are typically recovered within igneous rock exposures.

Question 16

The chemical signature of volcanic ash layers can be used to correlate sites across vast regions.

Question 17

Which U.S.president reported the discovery of a fossilized ground sloth in Virginia to the American Philosophical Society?

A)George Washington
B)James Madison
C)Thomas Jefferson
D)John Adams

Question 18

The Danish physician who developed the geologic principle of superposition,according to which rocks (and fossils)higher in a sequence are younger than those buried farther down,was:

A)Charles Lyell.
B)Niels Stensen (aka Nicolaus Steno).
C)William Smith.
D)James Hutton.

Question 19

Rapid burial after death usually impedes fossilization.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT one of the eras within the Phanerozoic eon?

A)Mesozoic
B)Cenozoic
C)Protozoic
D)Paleozoic

Question 21

The first logical step in a sequence of events that leads to the discovery and analysis of primate fossils is the:

A)naming of the fossils.
B)recovery of the fossils.
C)comparison with other fossils.
D)selection and surveying of potential sites.

Question 22

Recent paleoenvironmental reconstructions suggest that the earliest members of the hominid lineage evolved in:

A)dense tropical forests.
B)wide-open savanna grasslands.
C)glacial tundra environments.
D)woodlands along both rivers and lakes.

Question 23

A diagram (family tree)that proposes hypothetical ancestor-descendant relationships between species is a:

A)chronology.
B)phylogeny.
C)dendrogram.
D)lexigram.

Question 24

Based on the molecular clock,it is estimated that the hominid lineage diverged from that of the chimpanzee about:

A)1-2 mya.
B)3-4 mya.
C)6-8 mya.
D)10-12 mya.

Question 25

The ratio of C3 to C4 plants in a paleoenvironment can be estimated using the ratio of two stable isotopes of which element derived from fossils or ancient soils?

A)oxygen
B)nitrogen
C)carbon
D)strontium

Question 26

Which of the following cultural artifacts would provide the most narrowly defined date for the sediments from which it was recovered?

A)an early Stone Age chopping tool
B)a Neolithic ceramic pot
C)a middle Stone Age point
D)a late Stone Age cave painting

Question 27

Studies of temperatures during the Cenozoic era suggest that:

A)temperatures have steadily increased over time.
B)temperatures have steadily decreased over time.
C)temperatures have fluctuated,sometimes greatly,over time.
D)temperatures have stayed basically the same over time.

Question 28

The chart that shows the different time periods in Earth's history and also indicates significant evolutionary events is called the:

A)temporal display.
B)geologic time scale.
C)paleochart.
D)virtual time machine.

Question 29

Paleomagnetic dating relies on:

A)dating unstable iron isotopes.
B)the periodic reversal of the earth's magnetic poles.
C)chemical reactions between iron-bearing rocks and acidic groundwater.
D)the use of hand magnets to draw sediments out of the ground.

Question 30

With a half-life of 5,730 years,14C dating is useful for dating carbonbearing objects as far back as:

A)50,000 years ago.
B)500,000 years ago.
C)5 mya.
D)50 mya.

Question 31

The absolute dating method that involves counting the annual rings visible in the cross-section of a tree is called:

A)fission track dating.
B)arborchronology.
C)luminescence dating.
D)dendrochronology.

Question 32

Prior to the invention of absolute dating techniques,one of the chemical dating methods useful for establishing the relative age of fossils from a single site was:

A)fission track dating.
B)thermoluminescence dating.
C)electron spin resonance dating.
D)fluorine dating.

Question 33

Which of the following is FALSE regarding absolute dating techniques?

A)They give geologic age in the form of a number ± some error.
B)They often rely on the decay of radioactive isotopes.
C)Each can work with any type of material.
D)14C and 40K/40Ar are two main methods.

Question 34

Ocean-dwelling microorganisms called foraminifera are important in evolutionary studies mainly because:

A)the chemical composition of their shells records past temperatures.
B)they can be dated using uranium series methods.
C)primates use them as a key food source.
D)they are strong indicators of past changes in the earth's magnetic polarity.

Question 35

Which geological time period is referred to by geologists as the oldest portion of Earth's history,accounting for roughly 87% of that history?

A)Triassic period
B)Pleistocene epoch
C)Paleozoic era
D)Precambrian eon

Question 36

Which of the following has the greatest likelihood of becoming fossilized?

A)muscle tissue
B)teeth
C)skin
D)vertebrae

Question 37

The significant drying up of the Mediterranean Basin at the end of the Oligocene epoch was probably due to:

A)an intense period of global warming.
B)the African Plate rotating away from the Eurasian Plate.
C)the appearance of huge ice sheets in Antarctica.
D)the formation of the Alps.

Question 38

Biostratigraphic dating relies on:

A)the first and last appearances of species in the fossil record.
B)magnetic shifts in the earth's interior.
C)radioactive decay of carbon to nitrogen.
D)the concentration of fluorine in the soil and in groundwater.

Question 39

Variants of elements that differ based on the number of neutrons in the atom's nucleus are called:

A)isotopes.
B)sports.
C)alleles.
D)races.

Question 40

Which dating method would be most appropriate for establishing the age of a volcanic ash layer from an early hominid site in eastern Africa?

A)14C dating
B)amino acid dating
C)40K/40Ar dating
D)electron spin resonance dating

Question 41

Phylogeny is important to the study of human evolution because:

A)in order to understand modern human anatomy and behavior we must understand our evolutionary relationships to other extinct and living organisms.
B)in order to account for changes in our species over time,we need to know what processes drove natural selection.
C)it allows us to study our closest living relative in order to better understand how natural selection acted in previous environments.
D)all of the above

Question 42

The absolute dating technique that emerged as a result of research into constructing the atomic bomb during World War II is:

A)fission track dating.
B)14C dating.
C)40K/40Ar dating.
D)thermoluminescence dating.

Question 43

Darwin had very few fossils to support his theory of evolution by means of natural selection when he published On the Origin of Species (1859).Why are fossils considered essential for the study of biological evolution?

Question 44

Differentiate between absolute and relative dating techniques,giving one example of each.

Question 45

In an excavation you notice that near the surface there are multiple strata in which you find the remains of multiple trilobites with the same type of exoskeleton.Beneath this is a layer where you see an individual with this type of exoskeleton in addition to many with a differing type of exoskeleton.Farther beneath this layer you find multiple strata containing the remains of trilobites with the second type of exoskeleton.This indicates which of the following?

A)It shows a period of stasis,followed by a punctuated speciation event,followed by another period of stasis.
B)It indicates that two species of trilobites have always existed in this particular location.
C)It marks the beginning of an adaptive radiation of trilobite species.
D)It indicates a gradual evolution of trilobites.

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT one of the main methods for reconstructing ancient environments?

A)stable carbon isotope analysis of fossils and of soils
B)40K/40Ar analysis of lava flows and of ash layers
C)oxygen isotope analysis of marine microorganisms
D)faunal analysis of habitat-specific species

Question 47

How has the "molecular clock" aided paleontologists in testing theories about the timing of significant evolutionary events?

Question 48

The dating technique in which proteins are examined under high magnification using polarized light is:

A)luminescence dating.
B)electron spin resonance dating.
C)fission track dating.
D)amino acid dating.

Question 49

In a 1 ??1-meter excavation you find the remains of two human skeletons along with the antler of an antelope.How can you attempt to date these skeletons?

A)You can take soil samples and analyze the microscopic organisms present to determine a time period.
B)You can assume the humans ate the antelope and find out when humans in this area began to eat meat.
C)Since they are all found in a single layer you can use stratigraphy.
D)You can research the antler bone to find out which species it belongs to and then use faunal dating.

Question 50

While on a paleontological dig in the United Kingdom,you come across a completely preserved (including skin)extinct species of mammal within a bog.You note that for a mammal it is relatively hairless.In order to determine the adaptive significance of hairlessness,you must:

A)find an expert on mammals of this region and turn the find over to that person.
B)collect data that will help you to reconstruct the environment of that time.
C)determine the closest extant relative of this species and study it for better understanding of the extinct species.
D)none of the above

Question 51

Why is it critical that paleontologists reconstruct past environments to provide a complete picture of a particular lineage's evolution? Name one way in which paleontologists reconstruct paleoenvironments.

Question 52

The time it takes for 50% of an unstable isotope to decay to a stable form is called the:

A)semichron.
B)middlemorph.
C)demi-dose.
D)half-life.

Question 53

How might living organisms' evolution have been affected by the movement of landmasses over time (plate tectonics)?

Question 54

Electron spin resonance dating would be most useful in attempting to date which object?

A)a fossilized tooth
B)an ancient stone artifact
C)an old lava flow
D)a limestone cave deposit

Question 55

At a site in the American Southwest,you find only a single ceramic pot in association with an individual within a burial.You can use the pot to date the burial based on:

A)biostratigraphic dating,because there may be animal remains inside the pot.
B)cultural dating,since the pot must be specific to a known culture and time period.
C)radiopotassium dating of the material used to make the pot.
D)fission track dating of the pot itself.