Lesson 4.6.3.2

4.6.3.2 Fossils Quiz: AQA Combined Science, Unit 6

20 questions

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Lesson 4.6.3.2, Fossils: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Combined Science (8464), Unit 6: Inheritance, variation and evolution, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What are fossils defined as the remains of?

    • Ancient organisms
    • Synthetic polymers
    • Living species
    • Igneous crystals
  2. Why can some undecayed parts of organisms form fossils?

    • too much oxygen
    • decay conditions absent
    • high temperature
    • rapid bacterial growth
  3. What forms when decaying organism parts are replaced by minerals?

    • soft tissue preservation
    • surface footprint trace
    • mineral replacement
    • hollow mould fossil
  4. Which of these is classified as a preserved trace fossil?

    • intact shell
    • preserved bone
    • petrified tooth
    • animal footprints
  5. Why are many early forms of life poorly represented in the fossil record?

    • Buried deep
    • Soft-bodied
    • Too heavy
    • Eaten whole
  6. What has mainly destroyed the traces of early life?

    • geological activity
    • ocean salt
    • volcanic gases only
    • photosynthesis
  7. Why are scientists uncertain about how life began on Earth?

    • lack of liquid water
    • constant volcanic heat
    • too many soft organisms
    • fossil record incomplete
  8. What do fossils primarily show scientists about how life has developed?

    • organims changed over time
    • all organisms remain identical
    • life started simultaneously
    • species never became extinct
  9. What do changing fossil shapes across different rock layers demonstrate?

    • Constant species
    • Evolution over time
    • Rock age only
    • Random mutations
  10. What do branching points on an evolutionary tree indicate that species share?

    • the same habitat
    • equal population size
    • common ancestor
    • identical DNA sequence
  11. A fossilised dinosaur footprint in rock is an example of what?

    • a preserved trace
    • a mineral replacement
    • a body fossil
    • an undecayed tissue
  12. Which of these is a classic example of a trace fossil?

    • frozen teeth
    • animal burrows
    • petrified wood
    • preserved bones
  13. Which feature makes organisms much less likely to form fossils?

    • Soft tissues
    • Large teeth
    • Dense bones
    • Hard shells
  14. Which of these is categorised as a body fossil?

    • footprint cast
    • animal burrow
    • mineralised bone
    • rootlet trace
  15. What is the primary reason why the fossil record has significant gaps?

    • Solar radiation
    • Rapid freezing
    • Geological activity
    • Acid rain
  16. What do fossils found in older rock layers provide evidence for?

    • Modern clones
    • Identical species
    • Static biology
    • Organism changes
  17. Which environmental condition best helps form fossils?

    • rapid burial
    • warm surface air
    • constant scavenging
    • high oxygen exposure
  18. Which fossil type typically shows hard parts like teeth and bone preserved in rock?

    • complete DNA
    • living cells
    • mineral replacement
    • soft tissue
  19. What do fossils help scientists track over millions of years?

    • ocean salinity levels
    • plate tectonic speeds
    • evolutionary changes
    • daily weather patterns
  20. Which fossil type forms from animal footprints preserved in sediment?

    • amber entrapment
    • preserved trace
    • mineral replacement
    • frozen carcass

All AQA Combined Science quizzes