Earth Space Test Questions (CH13) – Flashcards
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How old is Earth?
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4.56 billion years
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Which span of geologic time spans covers the majority of Earth's history?
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Precambrian
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Which of the following gases was NOT part of Earth's original atmosphere?
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oxygen
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How far back does the fossil record extend?
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3.5 billion years
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Which era immediately follows the Precambrian?
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Paleozoic
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When did abundant fossil evidence first appear in the geologic record?
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540 million years ago
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Laurasia was made up of which modern continents?
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North America, Europe, and western Asia
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What happened to all the continents by the close of the Paleozoic?
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they fused into pangaea
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In the early Paleozoic, life was restricted to the...
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seas
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During the Carboniferous period, large swamp forests extended across wet, tropical regions, such as North America, eventually forming...
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vast coal deposits
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What event may have triggered the mass extinction at the end of the Permian period?
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climatic change
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Which period is known as the Age of Fishes?
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Devonian
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Why did amphibians diversify so rapidly during the late Paleozoic?
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they had little competition from other land dwellers
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Hard parts help animals to...
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protect themselves
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Many new groups of organisms evolved in a relatively short time in an event called the...
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Cambrian explosion
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The rocky mountains began to form as the North American plate overrode the...
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Pacific Plate
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The dinosaurs of the Mesozoic era belonged to which animal group?
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reptiles
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One group of reptiles, characterized by the fossil Archaeopteryx, led to the evolution of...
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birds
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What likely contributed to the extinction that marks the end of the Mesozoic era?
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a meteorite collision
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The current geologic period is called the...
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quaternary
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Which title best describes the current geologic age?
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Age of mammals
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Why do scientists think that birds evolved from dinosaurs?
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some dinosaurs had feathers
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How are mammals distinct from reptiles?
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mammals have body hair
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Mammals became widespread and abundant only after...
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dinosaurs became extinct
