Name ______Date ______

U1L2 Fossils & History of Life

Main Ideas Read each item. Then select the letter next to the best answer.

1. Maria was organizing a timeline of important events that occurred in the history of life. She created the diagram below in order to look for patterns in the fossil record.

Based on the evidence in her diagram, which of the following shows the correct order of life forms from earliest to latest?

A. simple-celled > multicellular > complex-celled B. multicellular > complex-celled > simple-celled C. simple-celled > complex-celled > multicellular D. multicellular > simple-celled > complex-celled 2. You go to the science museum with your teacher to look for an idea for a science fair exhibit. You look at the following display about fossils from Precambrian and Cambrian rock strata. The sign on the exhibit says the following:

• Rock strata from the late Precambrian Era provide evidence of only a small number of different kinds of animals. • Rock strata from the early Cambrian Period provide evidence of a huge number of different kinds of animal life.

Which of the following is the BEST description for what occurred during the early Cambrian Period?

A. a decrease in hard bodies B. an increase in soft bodies C. a decrease in complexity D. an increase in biodiversity 3. Enrico is learning about changes in the oceans and how this may affect marine life. He comes across this diagram about marine animals over the history of life. He sees that the number of marine animal groups has changed over time from the Permian Period to the present day. He also sees that there were three mass extinctions during this time. During each mass extinction, there was a sharp drop in the number of marine animal groups.

Based on the evidence in the graph, which of the following statements is true about marine animals?

A. The number of marine animal groups was highest about 100 million years ago. B. The number of marine animal groups is always increasing except during a mass extinction. C. The number of marine animal groups is always decreasing except during a mass extinction. D. The number of marine animal groups was lowest about 250 million years ago. 4. Fred’s favorite animals are horses. While reading about the history of horses, Fred learns that some fossil horses are very different from the horses of today. He finds the following illustration of fossil horses. The diagram shows how big the animals may have been and what their foot bones looked like.

Based on the evidence shown here, which of the following conclusions is supported by fossil evidence on the history of horses?

A. Horses became larger in size, with fewer toes. B. Horses became larger in size, with more toes. C. Horses became smaller in size, with more toes. D. Horses became smaller in size, with fewer toes. 5. Carla is interested in the history of birds. She learns about how dromaeosaur dinosaurs gave rise to early birds such as Archaeopteryx, and early birds gave rise to modern birds.

Based on the diagram below, which of the following statements is supported by fossil evidence on the history of birds?

A. Archaeopteryx has the long bony tail seen in dromaeosaur dinosaurs, but not the teeth. B. Archaeopteryx has the teeth seen in dromaeosaur dinosaurs, but it also has feathers like those of modern birds. C. Modern birds have the wishbone seen in dromaeosaur dinosaurs, but they also have the long bony tail of Archaeopteryx. D. Modern birds have the wishbone seen in Archaeopteryx, but not the feathers and wings.

6. Many scientists are interested in studying the fossil skull of a human ancestor. For some of them, using a CT scanner to scan the fossil, then using a 3-D printer to print a model of the fossil, is an engineering solution that satisfies their criteria and constraints.

Which of the following scientists would find that this engineering solution did NOT meet their criteria and constraints?

A. a scientist interested in estimating the size of the ancestor’s brain B. a scientist interested in studying the shape of the ancestor’s nose C. a scientist interested in studying the fossil’s teeth to determine if any are missing or worn down D. a scientist interested in the fossil’s chemical composition to determine the age of the ancestor Think Like a Scientist Read about each scientific investigation. Then answer the questions that follow the investigation by selecting the letter next to the best answer.

Investigation Professor Carmela Lee collects data on several different fossils of human relatives that have been found. She measures the volume of the braincase of each fossil and uses that value to estimate brain size. She also estimates the original body weight of the human relative. Her data is shown in the table below.

7. Based on the data in the table, which of the following fossils have the largest estimated body weight?

A. Homo erectus and Homo sapiens B. Homo heidelbergensis and Homo erectus C. Homo habilis and Homo neanderthalensis D. Homo neanderthalensis and Homo heidelbergensis

8. Based on evidence in the table, which of the following can you correctly conclude?

A. The fossil record shows that Homo erectus went extinct about 600,000 years ago. B. The fossil record shows that modern humans originated about 28,000 years ago. C. The fossil record shows that there were Neanderthals alive about 100,000 years ago. D. The fossil record shows that Australopithecus africanus is the earliest known fossil human relative.

9. Which of the following claims about changes in brain size in fossil human relatives is BEST supported by the evidence?

A. Brain size has generally stayed the same over time. B. Brain size has changed over time, but there is no pattern to the changes. C. Brain size has generally increased in size over time, though some fossils are exceptions to this. D. Brain size has generally decreased in size over time, though some fossils are exceptions to this. Expressing Science Practices, Concepts, and Ideas Read the directions for each item carefully and use the space provided to respond.

10. You are a volunteer at a natural history museum. One day, a fifth grader looking at a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton in the main hall asks when T. rex lived. You tell her that T. rex lived from about 70 million years ago to about 66 million years ago, when it died out during the mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period. Explain to her how you know this. Use all of the words from the word bank.

Write a two-paragraph essay that includes: • how scientists know that T. rex lived from about 70 million years ago to about 66 million years ago. • what a mass extinction is and how scientists know there was a mass extinction at the end of the Cretaceous Period.

WORD BANK absolute dating extinct fossil fossil record mass extinction meteorite rock strata 11. During a walk on the beach, you find a jellyfish that has washed up next to several shells. You observe that jellyfish have soft bodies with no hard parts.

Write a one-paragraph essay that: • makes a claim about whether the jellyfish or the shell is more likely to become a fossil. • uses reasoning with evidence to support your claim.