Chapter 2 - A Trip through Geologic Time - Test Prep

Question 1

the relative age of a rock is...

Accepted Answer

its age compared to other rocks

Question 2

when many types of living things become extinct at the same time

Accepted Answer

mass extinction

Question 3

Geolologists divide Earth's history into smaller units that make up the geologic time scale

Accepted Answer

true

Question 4

A scientist who studies fossils is called a...

Accepted Answer

paleontologist

Question 5

The law of superposition helps geologists determine the absolute age of a rock layer.

Accepted Answer

false

Question 6

the study of fossils has allowed scientists to...

Accepted Answer

describe past environments and Earth's history

Question 7

Fossils usually occur in metamorphic rock.

Accepted Answer

false

Question 8

describes an organism that no longer exists anywhere on Earth

Accepted Answer

extinct

Question 9

Footprints and trails are examples of trace fossils.

Accepted Answer

true

Question 10

during the Paleozoic, many new forms of life that evolved...

Accepted Answer

were invertebrates that lived in the sea

Question 11

one of the three long units of geologic time between the Precambrian and the present

Accepted Answer

era

Question 12

During the Paleozoic, the first organisms to live partly on land were...

Accepted Answer

amphibians

Question 13

the principle that states in horizontal rock layers each layer is older than the layer above it

Accepted Answer

law of superposition

Question 14

a record of the geologic events and life forms in Earth's history

Accepted Answer

geologic time scale

Question 15

fossils of widely distributed organisms that lived during a geologically short period of time

Accepted Answer

index fossil

Question 16

the age of a rock given as the number of years since the rock formed

Accepted Answer

absolute age

Question 17

We are currently living in the Cenozoic Era.

Accepted Answer

true

Question 18

the preserved remains or traces of living things

Accepted Answer

fossil

Question 19

the process by which all the different kinds of living things have changed over time

Accepted Answer

evolution

Question 20

Earth's early atmosphere lacked _______ which is essential for life today.

Accepted Answer

oxygen

Questions 20