What is the name for fossilized dinosaur dung?

• A) Gastrolith
• B) Coprolite
• C) Amberite
• D) Crudite

What does the word "fossil" literally mean in Latin?

• A) Bone
• B) Dig
• C) Extracted
• D) Obtained by digging

Which of the following is NOT a trace fossil?

• A) Dinosaur footprint
• B) Coprolite (fossilized poop)
• C) Gastrolith (stomach stone)
• D) Petrified wood

What kind of rock are fossils most commonly found in?

• A) Igneous
• B) Metamorphic
• C) Sedimentary
• D) Basalt

Which of these dinosaurs is known for its three horns and large frill?

• A) Stegosaurus
• B) Triceratops
• C) Allosaurus
• D) Ankylosaurus

What type of fossil records animal behavior, like tracks or burrows?

• A) Trace fossil
• B) Body fossil
• C) Cast fossil
• D) Resin fossil

Fossilized tree resin is commonly called what?

• A) Amber
• B) Resinite
• C) Petrified sap
• D) Pineglass

Which method is commonly used to determine the age of a fossil?

• A) Fluorescence testing
• B) Radiometric dating
• C) PH analysis
• D) UV reactivity

What is the process called when organic material in bone is replaced by minerals during fossilization?

• A) Carbonization
• B) Mummification
• C) Petrification
• D) Encapsulation

What does it mean if a fossil is "articulated"?

• A) It still has some soft tissue preserved
• B) It was reconstructed by scientists
• C) The bones are still connected in life position
• D) It has vocal tract impressions

Which of these is a biogenic gemstone, like amber and ammolite?

• A) Opal
• B) Obsidian
• C) Pearl
• D) Jade

Which of the following is a type of fossil fuel formed from ancient plant material?

• A) Coal
• B) Amber
• C) Granite
• D) Shale

What’s the main difference between a mold and a cast fossil?

• A) Mold is the actual bone; cast is the impression
• B) Mold is an impression; cast is the filled-in 3D shape
• C) Mold is preserved soft tissue; cast is mineral
• D) Mold is only found in amber

Orthoceras and ammonites are early forms of what modern animal group?

• A) Reptiles
• B) Cephalopods
• C) Fish
• D) Mammals

Which prehistoric marine reptile had a long neck and four flippers, and is sometimes mistaken for the Loch Ness Monster?

• A) Ichthyosaurus
• B) Pliosaur
• C) Plesiosaur
• D) Megalodon

What kind of rock is typically formed by the accumulation of shells and skeletal fragments of marine organisms?

• A) Granite
• B) Limestone
• C) Shale
• D) Basalt

What evolutionary concept explains similar traits in unrelated species like ichthyosaurs and dolphins?

• A) Divergent evolution
• B) Parallel evolution
• C) Convergent evolution
• D) Punctuated equilibrium

The transitional fossil Tiktaalik is famous for bridging which two evolutionary groups?

• A) Amphibians and reptiles
• B) Reptiles and birds
• C) Fish and tetrapods
• D) Dinosaurs and mammals

What is the significance of Lagerstätte fossil sites like the Burgess Shale or Solnhofen Limestone?

• A) They only contain large fossils
• B) They’re found in volcanic regions
• C) They preserve exceptional soft tissue detail
• D) They were the first discovered fossil sites

In radiometric dating, what isotope is most commonly used to date ancient fossils in igneous rock layers?

• A) Carbon-14
• B) Potassium-40
• C) Lead-206
• D) Uranium-238

Which feature of Archaeopteryx most strongly links it to modern birds?

• A) Its beak with no teeth
• B) Its tail fin
• C) Its feathered wings with a wishbone
• D) Its hollow leg bones

Which fossil group is considered the earliest known vertebrates?

• A) Trilobites
• B) Conodonts
• C) Crinoids
• D) Ammonites

The Devonian Period is often referred to as the “Age of…” what?

• A) Dinosaurs
• B) Fish
• C) Reptiles
• D) Insects

What is the primary reason soft-tissue phosphatization is rare in the fossil record?

• A) Requires high heat and pressure
• B) Occurs only in volcanic environments
• C) Needs rapid burial in low-oxygen, phosphate-rich settings
• D) Requires dehydration followed by chemical bleaching

Which process leads to petrified wood, where plant tissue is replaced and preserved in mineral form?

• A) Carbonization
• B) Permineralization
• C) Compression
• D) Recrystallization

Which Canadian fossil site is known for producing some of the best-preserved Cambrian soft-bodied fossils?

• A) Drumheller Badlands
• B) Joggins Fossil Cliffs
• C) Burgess Shale
• D) Miguasha National Park

What rare element found in the K-Pg boundary layer supports the asteroid impact theory?

• A) Cobalt
• B) Thorium
• C) Iridium
• D) Lead

What kind of fossil is a stromatolite?

• A) Fossilized dinosaur nest
• B) Layered sediment created by cyanobacteria
• C) Petrified coral reef
• D) Trace fossil from algae movement

What makes ammonites ideal as index fossils?

• A) They only lived on land
• B) They lived for extremely long periods
• C) They evolved rapidly and were widespread
• D) They fluoresce under UV light

What do paleontologists mean when they refer to “taphonomy”?

• A) Study of fossil age
• B) Study of sediment layering
• C) Study of decay and fossilization processes
• D) Study of trace fossils only

Which dating method would you most likely use for extremely ancient fossils that predate the preservation window of carbon-14?

• A) Thermoluminescence
• B) Uranium-lead dating
• C) Carbon-14 dating
• D) Tree-ring analysis

What evolutionary adaptation likely gave ammonites an edge over other shelled marine animals during the Mesozoic?

• A) Their thick outer armor
• B) Their ability to crawl onto land
• C) Their chambered shell with buoyancy control
• D) Their external gills

What is a “ghost lineage” in the fossil record?

• A) A fossil thought to be fake
• B) A species inferred by evolutionary data but not yet found in fossil form
• C) A fossil preserved only in trace form
• D) An organism whose soft tissues were preserved but not bones

Which of the following ancient microfossils helped scientists confirm early life over 3.4 billion years ago?

• A) Foraminifera
• B) Stromatolites
• C) Diatoms
• D) Graptolites

What is paleomagnetism used for in fossil-bearing rock strata?

• A) Estimating the temperature of fossilization
• B) Detecting trace fossil movement
• C) Dating and correlating sediment layers using Earth’s magnetic field reversals
• D) Measuring fossil radiation levels

Which mass extinction event is linked to massive volcanic activity in the Siberian Traps?

• A) Late Devonian Extinction
• B) End-Cretaceous Extinction
• C) End-Permian Extinction
• D) Ordovician-Silurian Extinction

The fossil record shows that feathers likely evolved in dinosaurs for what primary purpose before flight?

• A) Gliding between trees
• B) Insulation and display
• C) Swimming like penguins
• D) Protecting eggs