Question 1
Question
Which burial environment would best promote fossilization
Answer
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burial soon after death by sediments or volcanic ash
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burial after defleshing of the bones by scavengers and insects
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burial in groundwater or acidic soils
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burial in a geologically active area with high ground pressure
Question 2
Question
Relative methods of dating can tell us
Answer
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the approximate numerical age of a fossil
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the exact numerical age of a fossil
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whether a fossil is older or younger than another fossil or artifact
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the amount of organic material remaining in a fossil
Question 3
Question
Radiometric and non-radiometric absolute dating methods both
Answer
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provide only a relative date
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provide a numerical date
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measure the radioactive decay of an unstable isotope
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determine past climate history through stable isotope analysis
Question 4
Question
What must be considered when choosing a radiometric dating method
Answer
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the half-life of an isotope limits its usefulness to a certain date range
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no radiometric dating methods can date organic materials
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no radiometric dating methods can date nonorganic materials
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fossils must be associated with another fossil to give a relative date
Question 5
Question
Stable isotope analysis of carbon in a fossilized tooth would be most useful for determining the
Answer
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relative age of the tooth compared to another fossil
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absolute age of the tooth
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temperature of the animal's environment
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types of plants consumed by the animal during life
Question 6
Question
The molecular clock has been useful to determine the phylogenetic relationships of species based on the assumption that
Answer
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a species lineage accumulates genetic differences over time at a constant rate.
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only some species are genetically related.
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DNA is preserved unchanged over long periods of time.
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species adapt at specific rates.
Question 7
Question
Igneous rock can be dated with which of the following methods?
Answer
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radiopotassium dating
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dendrochronology
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radiocarbon dating
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fluorine dating
Question 8
Question
Paleontologists find a fossil ape with long arms. What type of environment can they infer it inhabited?
Answer
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savanna
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woodland
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grassland
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swamp
Question 9
Question
Studies of temperatures during the Cenozoic era suggest that temperatures have ________ over time.
Answer
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steadily increased
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steadily decreased
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fluctuated, sometimes greatly,
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stayed basically the same
Question 10
Question
The continent that existed about 200 mya, from which the modern continents ultimately emerged, is called
Answer
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Eurasia.
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Afrinesia.
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Australasia.
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Pangaea.
Question 11
Question
A wooden tomb is discovered with a well-preserved mummy inside. Which of the following methods could be used to date the tomb MOST accurately?
Answer
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superposition
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electron spin resonance
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thermoluminescence
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dendrochronology
Question 12
Question
Which era saw the proliferation of mammals?
Answer
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Holocene
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Cenozoic
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Jurassic
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Mesozoic
Question 13
Question
A mummy is discovered whose tomb includes cloth, food, and other organic remains. What dating method would MOST likely be used to date the tomb?
Answer
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biostratigraphy
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carbon 14
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dendrochronology
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electron spin resonance
Question 14
Question
Crucial to creating a fossil record of a species is
Answer
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a living form of the fossil species.
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a good representation in the fossil record.
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the preservation of soft tissue such as muscle.
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the lack of dating; knowing the age of the fossil introduces biases.
Question 15
Question
A hearth is discovered with bone fragments in it. What method might be used to date the bone?
Answer
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dendrochronology
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electron spin resonance
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fission track
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amino acid
Question 16
Question
1. A stratigraphic layer in one location overwhelmingly represents one species, while the same species is discovered in a similar stratigraphic layer hundreds of kilometers away. Biostratigraphic dating method cannot be used to provide an estimate of age for this layer and this species.
Question 17
Question
Temperature estimated using any of several methods is not the most important variable in reconstructing ancient climate
Question 18
Question
Experts reconstruct the appearance of early hominids during life using known relationships between bone and tissue in living animals: layers of clay are built up until finally we can see the ancient face staring at us.
Question 19
Question
Taxonomy is the study of the processes that affect an organism’s remains after death.
Question 20
Question
The three eras that make up Earth history are: Pleistocene, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic
Question 21
Question
Most of the early hominin fossils discovered in Africa come from the eastern and southern parts of the continent because they didn't live anywhere else
Question 22
Question
William Smith was the English surveyor who developed the technique of stratigraphic correlation between regions.