Biology · Geography

Fossils and Geological Eras

1,140 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 biology origin and evolution of life fossilization geological time scale, extinctions and fossils concepts of evolution

K - T boundary is boundary present between rocks of

  1. Devonian and carboniferous

  2. Permian and triassic

  3. Cretaceous and tertiary

  4. Miocene and pliocene.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

The K-T boundary (Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary) marks the mass extinction event that occurred approximately 66 million years ago, separating the Cretaceous period from the Tertiary period.

Multiple choice biology origin and evolution of life fossilization geological time scale, extinctions and fossils concepts of evolution

Which of the following is the relatively most accurate method for dating of fossils -

  1. Electron-spin resonance method

  2. Uranium-lead method

  3. Potassiumargon method

  4. Radio-carbon method
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

From the given methods, the relatively most accurate method for dating of fossils is electron-spin resonance method. This method is based on the principle of measuring the number of charges occupied by the deep traps crystal band gap.

Thus, the correct answer is 'Electron-spin resonance method.'

Multiple choice biology origin and evolution of life fossilization geological time scale, extinctions and fossils concepts of evolution

Fossil $X$ can be considered to have evolved earth than fossil $Y$ if _________________.

  1. $Y$ has vestigial structures that are homologous to functional structures in fossil $X$
  2. $Y$ is structurally more complex than fossil $X$
  3. $Y$ is in better state of preservation than $X$
  4. $X$ is found in lower stratum of undisturbed sedimentary rock than $Y$
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

If fossil Y has vestigial structures that are homologous to functional structures in fossil X, it implies that X represents an earlier, more ancestral form, while Y represents a later form where the structure has become vestigial.

Multiple choice biology origin and evolution of life fossilization geological time scale, extinctions and fossils concepts of evolution

Remains of an organism of a former geological age is known as ...........

  1. Fossils

  2. Coal

  3. Petroleum

  4. Both A and B
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
Fossils are the preserved traces of the organisms of a former geological age that once existed and now they are extinct. Fossils are formed because some organisms failed to decay completely and have remained preserved till today.
  • Fossils are very important for the study of evolution and for studying classification.
  • So, the correct option is 'Fossils'.
Multiple choice biology origin and evolution of life fossilization geological time scale, extinctions and fossils concepts of evolution

Choose the correct answers from the alternatives given .
The fossil record offers direct evidence for common descent because you can

  1. Sometimes find common ancestors

  2. Trace the ancestry of a particular group

  3. See that the types of fossils change over time

  4. All of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Fossils are the preserved remains of previously living organisms or their traces, dating from the distant past. Fossils document the existence of now-extinct species, showing that different organisms have lived on Earth during different periods of the planet's history. They can also help scientists reconstruct the evolutionary histories and ancestry of present-day species. For instance, some of the best-studied fossils are of the horse lineage. Using these fossils, scientists have been able to reconstruct a large, branching "family tree" for horses and their now-extinct relatives. 

So, the correct option is 'All of the above'.

Multiple choice biology origin and evolution of life fossilization geological time scale, extinctions and fossils concepts of evolution

Foot prints, trails, tracks and tunnels of various organisations made in mud are rapidly filled in with sand and covered by sediments. This is an example of which of the following types of fossil?

  1. Petrified fossil

  2. Impressions

  3. Imprints

  4. Coprolites
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Impressions are two-dimensional imprints of an organism that doesn't contain any organic material. An impression is a clue left of the organism's biological activity, they can be formed while the organism was moving or any other biological activity.
So the correct option is 'Impressions'.

Multiple choice biology origin and evolution of life fossilization geological time scale, extinctions and fossils concepts of evolution

Which of the following is relatively more accurate method of determining the age of fossils?

  1. Uranium-lead method

  2. Radio-carbon method

  3. Study of carbohydrates/ proteins in rocks

  4. Electron-spin resonance method
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation
  • The dating of fossils using uranium and lead is one of the oldest processes of doing so. 
  • This is also the most redefined methods of fossil-dating. 
  • This process can enable dating of fossils that are around 1 million years to over 4.5 billion years old. 
  • This process has a routine precision in the 0.1–1 per cent range and hence, can be considered the most accurate method of fossil-dating.
  • So, the correct answer is 'Uranium-lead method'.
Multiple choice biology origin and evolution of life fossilization geological time scale, extinctions and fossils concepts of evolution

Choose the correct answers from the alternatives given:
The first true hominids in the fossil record have been placed in the genus

  1. Aegyptopithecus

  2. Australopithecus

  3. Dryopithecus

  4. Homo
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Aegyptopithecus was an early primate that existed around 30 mya and it is widely believed to be ancestral to monkeys (cercopithecoids), as well as to humans and apes (hominoids). About 15 mya, primates called Dryopithecus and Ramapithecus were existing. They were hairy and walked like gorillas and chimpanzees. Ramapithecus was more man-like while Dryopithecus was more ape-like. 

Australopithecus afarensis is one of the longest-lived, widely believed and best-known early human species. Found between 3.85 and 2.95 million years ago in Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania), this species survived for more than 900,000 years.
 Hence, the correct answer is 'Australopithecus'.

Multiple choice geography earthquakes and volcanoes volcanism types and features of earthquakes and volcanoes movement of the earth's plates
Approximately 140 million years ago, Indian plate broke away from the ancient
supercontinent known as  _______.

  1. Pangaea

  2. Gondwanaland

  3. Both A & B

  4. Angarland
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The Indian Plate was part of the supercontinent Gondwanaland. It began to break away and drift northward approximately 140 million years ago.

Multiple choice origin of universe universe and organic evolution biology

State whether the following statements are true or false .
Horowitz showed that the earliest organisms were probably heterotrophs.

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Beadle, Tatum and Horowitz showed that the earliest organisms were probably heterotrophs.

So, the statement is True.
the correct statement is 'Horowitz showed that the earliest organisms were probably heterotrophs.'