Grade 7 · Science · Unit 14 of 14
Fossils & Earth's History
Clues from long ago
What your child practises
How fossils form, what they tell scientists, the order of rock layers, the geological time scale and the difference between sudden and gradual change.
Alberta Curriculum learning outcome: Unit E: Planet Earth · fossil formation, the geological time scale and evidence for sudden and gradual change
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Which came first on Earth?
- Mammals
- Flowering plants
- Humans
- Simple ocean life
Show answer
Simple ocean life
Hint: The fossil record shows simple life long before complex animals.
Question 2
Why is it hard to know exactly what colour a dinosaur was?
- Nobody has studied dinosaurs
- Fossils are always painted
- Colour is usually not preserved in bones
- Dinosaurs had no colour
Show answer
Colour is usually not preserved in bones
Hint: Scientists use rare fossils and clues from living animals to make careful guesses.
Question 3
Water rich in minerals slowly replaces the material in a buried log with stone. This forms…
- a mineral crystal
- a volcano
- petrified wood
- coal in a day
Show answer
petrified wood
Hint: Petrified means turned to stone.
Question 4
What is a paleontologist?
- A scientist who studies fossils and ancient life
- A scientist who studies the weather
- A scientist who studies stars
- A scientist who studies the ocean tides
Show answer
A scientist who studies fossils and ancient life
Hint: Palaeo means ancient.
Question 5
A dinosaur footprint hardened in mud and was later buried. What kind of fossil is it?
- A mineral
- A trace fossil
- A volcano
- A bone fossil
Show answer
A trace fossil
Hint: Trace fossils show activity, like footprints or burrows.
Question 6
Which part of an animal is most likely to become a fossil?
- Hard parts such as bones, teeth and shells
- Skin
- Blood
- Muscles
Show answer
Hard parts such as bones, teeth and shells
Hint: Soft parts usually rot away quickly.