Biology · Geography

Fossils and Geological Eras

1,078 Questions

Fossils and geological eras provide a window into the history of the Earth. This topic covers prehistoric life, mass extinctions, and the geological time scale. It is an important part of the general science syllabus for many aptitude tests.

Geological time scaleTypes of fossilsPrehistoric lifeAncient climates

Fossils and Geological Eras Questions

Multiple choice

What type of organism makes up the oldest known fossil?

  1. T-Rex from Mexico

  2. Ammonites from England

  3. Trilobites from Spain

  4. Blue-green algae from South Africa
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Stromatolites, which are formed by cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), represent some of the oldest known fossil evidence of life on Earth, dating back billions of years. The other options refer to much younger organisms from the Phanerozoic eon.

Multiple choice evs developmental journey of seed seed to plants germination of seeds life within the seed

Which of the following remained unchanged for last many million years?

  1. Pinus

  2. Rice

  3. Acacia

  4. Ginkgo
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Ginkgo biloba, or maidenhair tree, has been described as a living fossil, because it is the sole survivor of an ancient group of trees older than the dinosaurs. 

The Ginkgo is an oddity in nature because it is a single species with no known living relatives; a living fossil that has been essentially unchanged for more than 200 million years. 
Ginkgo biloba has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for centuries. The leaves are used in herbal remedies for cognitive complaints, such as alzheimers disease, dementia and vertigo. The phytochemistry and bioactivity of it, have been the subject of extensive research.

Multiple choice chemistry nuclear physics types of radioactivity nuclear chemistry and radioactivity radioactivity

The age of fossils can be estimated with the help of which radioisotope?

  1. $ _{6}C^{14}$
  2. $ _{27}Co^{60}$
  3. $ _{6}C^{12}$
  4. $ _{19}K^{40}$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The age of fossils can be estimated by the study of decay of radioactive carbon atom $ _{6}C^{14}$ in the remains of the dead and decaying material. This process is called carbon dating.

Multiple choice biology selection and evolution phylogeny cladistics speciation
Read the passage and answer the following question.
Some dinosaur bones were discovered fairly recently that still contained significant amounts of the protein collagen in a non-fossilized form. Enough material was available to determine its amino-acid sequence. This allowed researchers to compare its sequence with the sequences of collagen from currently existing animals. 
Identify the organisms that are closely resemble to the dinosaur sequence?

  1. Birds

  2. Lizards

  3. Amphibians

  4. Rodents

  5. Fish
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Scientists working across a variety of disciplines have discovered evidence of common descent among the living organisms on earth.  This evidence which constructs a theoretical framework on which evolutionary theory rests demonstrates the natural processes  of earth's biodiversity. These studies are based on fossil studies and comparison of the DNA genetic sequences thereby revealing phylogenetically closer organisms. A protein is a chain of amino acids and the functional end-product of a gene. Studies by evolutionary scientists involve the comparative analysis of both DNA and protein sequences and comparing the same type of gene or protein sequence between organisms helps to determine the closeness of a relation.  According to their studies, two organisms are considered closely related if they share a high percentage of amino acid sequence similarity for a certain protein. The recent studies however, bring to light the close resemblance of Birds to the extinct dinosaur. Thus, the correct answer is option A.

Multiple choice zoology evolution evidences for evolution - taxonomy, molecular biology and cytology evidences of evolution evidences of biological evolution

Correct sequence of era is

  1. Palaeozoic - Mesozoic - Coenozoic

  2. Mesozoic - Archaeozoic - Proterozoic

  3. Palaeozoic - Archaeozoic -Coenozoic

  4. Archaeozoic -Palaeozoic -Proterozoic
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

These are Eras of Geologic history, Phanerozoic eon. Previously the eras assumed were Proterozoic, Palaeozoic, Mesozoic, Coenozoic. However Proterozoic has now been elevated to a separate Eon.

Multiple choice zoology evolution evidences for evolution - taxonomy, molecular biology and cytology evidences of evolution evidences of biological evolution

Origin of Ginkgos and conifers took place at:

  1. Devonian period

  2. Triassic period.

  3. Cretaceous period.

  4. Permian period.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Ginkgos and conifers (gymnosperms) experienced significant diversification and origin during the Permian period, following the decline of earlier flora.

Multiple choice geography the signature of time movement of the earth's plates development of landforms study of continents - north america biosphere and landscape

 which of the following reason justifies the statement of  that Asia and Australia were joined together some million years ago?

  1. Fossils of Marsupials are found in Asia

  2. Culture of both places has many similarities

  3. Climate is quite similar

  4. The big green fields found in Australia are very much like

    those in Asia
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The presence of marsupial fossils in Asia provides evidence that these animals, now primarily found in Australia, once inhabited a broader range when the continents were connected. This supports the theory of continental drift and ancient land bridges.

Multiple choice zoology selection and evolution extinction extinctions environmental science

Carbon dating is useful for measuring age of a fosil/skeleton/article between

  1. 500,000 - 50,000,000 years

  2. 50,000 - 500,000 years

  3. 1000 - 50,000 years

  4. 1 - 1000,000 years.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Radiocarbon dating (C-14) is effective for organic materials up to approximately 50,000 years old due to the half-life of Carbon-14.

Multiple choice zoology selection and evolution extinction extinctions environmental science

When did the first mass extinctions occur

  1. Devonian-silurian

  2. Permian-triassic

  3. Jurassic

  4. Jurassic-cretaceous.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The 'Big Five' mass extinctions include the Ordovician-Silurian, Late Devonian, Permian-Triassic, Triassic-Jurassic, and Cretaceous-Paleogene. The Permian-Triassic is often cited as the most severe.

Multiple choice zoology selection and evolution extinction extinctions environmental science

Percentage of then living species which became extinct during permian-triassic period is

  1. 56%

  2. 78%

  3. 87%

  4. 96%.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The Permian-Triassic extinction event, often called the Great Dying, was the most severe extinction event in Earth's history. It resulted in the loss of approximately 96 percent of all marine species and about 70 percent of terrestrial vertebrate species.