3rd Grade Science : Fossils As Evidence
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for 3rd Grade Science
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Fossils As Evidence
What do fossils show about environments of long ago?
Fossils show scientists how environments have changed over time.
Fossils show scientists what the exact temperature of an environment was.
Fossils do not show scientists anything about environments of long ago.
Fossils show scientists what the weather was like on the day the fossil was made.
Fossils show scientists how environments have changed over time.
Fossils give scientists lots of valuable information about not only the organism but the environment in which it lived. From fossils, scientists can see how an environment has changed over time. If the fossil is found on a tall hillside, but it is the remains for an aquatic animal, scientists now know the area used to be underwater. If a plant was only found in desert areas but is now found in the middle of grassland, scientists can see how that area has changed over the years.
Example Question #2 : Fossils As Evidence
Gordon Hubbell and a crew of fossil hunters were digging holes in the desert of Peru in 1988. This desert is one of the driest places on Earth. It gets almost no rain. Hubbel was digging and found jawbones and more than 200 sharp teeth. He is an expert in fossilized sharks, so he recognized the teeth right away. They were shaped like triangles and came to a very sharp point. They belonged to a distant relative of the great white shark!
What did these fossils tell scientists about the environment in which they were found?
This desert area used to be underwater.
This desert area used to be a freezing tundra.
This desert area was always a desert.
This desert area used to be a tropical rainforest.
This desert area used to be underwater.
These fossils were a fascinating find for Hubbell's team and scientists in general. Finding shark teeth in what is now a desert tells researchers that this environment has changed over the years. For sharks to live there, it would have been underwater during their time period. Scientists can now study how, when, and why the area is now a desert.
Example Question #3 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
Antarctica is the coldest place on our planet. Temperatures can reach -120oF, and winds can be powerful. There are no plants or animals that can make their homes permanently in central Antarctica. Scientists were exploring a place called the Dry Valleys and found fossils of moss and small animals. They were discovered in ancient lakebeds. When researchers found the age of the fossils, they were about 14.1 million years old. Scientists realized that shrubs grew around the lakes, and insects lived there too. For insects and plants to survive this area, it had to be warmer and more welcoming to life than it is today.
Which two sentences are evidence that there was a change in the environment over time?
There are no plants or animals that can make their homes permanently in central Antarctica. Scientists were exploring a place called the Dry Valleys and found fossils of moss and small animals.
They were discovered in ancient lakebeds. When researchers found the age of the fossils, they were about 14.1 million years old.
Antarctica is the coldest place on our planet. Temperatures can reach -120oF, and winds can be powerful.
Scientists realized that shrubs grew around the lakes, and insects lived there too. For insects and plants to survive this area, it had to be warmer and more welcoming to life than it is today.
Scientists realized that shrubs grew around the lakes, and insects lived there too. For insects and plants to survive this area, it had to be warmer and more welcoming to life than it is today.
This short passage includes a lot of information and details about the fossils found in Antarctica. The passage explains that there was a change in the environment. Currently, Antarctica is freezing and not hospitable for life year-round, but there was evidence of moss and small animals that were found in fossils. This tells readers that at one point, it must have been warmer than it is today to support life. The sentences that include this evidence are, "Scientists realized that shrubs grew around the lakes, and insects lived there too. For insects and plants to survive this area, it had to be warmer and more welcoming to life than it is today.".
Example Question #3 : Fossils As Evidence
In the Arctic, there are large sheets of ice. Scientists have found palm branches fossilized in the ice.
This tells researchers that the environment may have changed. What might this environment have been in the past?
There was no change in the environment over time.
May have been a tropical island
May have been a forest
May have been underwater
May have been a tropical island
Scientists or researchers study fossils to learn about the environment and any changes that may have occurred over time. In this example, a palm branch was found under a sheet of ice in the Arctic, which is not typical for what we know of the environment today. When thinking about where palm branches are usually found, scientists could see that this area used to be a tropical island. To support the plant's basic needs, it was once much warmer in this location.
Example Question #4 : Fossils As Evidence
Researchers were digging in the desert when they came across a fossilized cactus leaf buried in the sand.
Environments can change over time. Some places stay the same. What might this environment have been in the past?
The environment has not changed since the fossil was formed.
The environment used to be a tropical island.
The environment used to be underwater.
The environment used to be a grassland.
The environment has not changed since the fossil was formed.
Many environments change over time, and fossils tell researchers what those changes are. In this example, the scientists are digging in the desert and found a cactus leaf. A cactus would most likely be found in the desert, so the environment has not changed over time. If a seashell were found or an aquatic plant, researchers would know there had been a shift over the years from a wet area to very dry.
Example Question #1 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
Gordon Hubbell and a crew of fossil hunters were digging holes in the desert of Peru in 1988. This desert is one of the driest places on Earth. It gets almost no rain. Hubbel was digging and found jawbones and more than 200 sharp teeth. He is an expert in fossilized sharks, so he recognized the teeth right away. They were shaped like triangles and came to a very sharp point. They belonged to a distant relative of the great white shark!
Why is Hubbell's discovery surprising?
None of the answer choices are correct.
The crew was digging in the desert and found shark teeth. This means that sharks had, at one point, lived on land rather than in the water.
There is nothing surprising about Hubbell's discovery. Scientists find fossils in deserts all the time so there isn't anything special about this finding.
The crew was digging in the desert and found shark teeth. This means the desert of Peru had water with sharks living in it at some point.
The crew was digging in the desert and found shark teeth. This means the desert of Peru had water with sharks living in it at some point.
These fossils were a surprising find for Hubbell's team and scientists in general. Finding shark teeth in what is now a desert tells researchers that this environment has changed over the years. For sharks to live there, it would have been underwater during their period. Scientists can now study how, when, and why the area is now a desert. What is currently a dry, hot desert was once an ocean, sea, or large body of water. This is a surprising find and development.
Example Question #1 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
Antarctica is the coldest place on our planet. Temperatures can reach -120oF, and winds can be powerful. There are no plants or animals that can make their homes permanently in central Antarctica. Scientists were exploring a place called the Dry Valleys and found fossils of moss and small animals. They were discovered in ancient lakebeds. When researchers found the age of the fossils, they were about 14.1 million years old. Scientists realized that shrubs grew around the lakes, and insects lived there too. For insects and plants to survive this area, it had to be warmer and more welcoming to life than it is today.
What did scientists discover that led them to believe Antarctica was once a very different place?
Fossils of moss
Lakebeds
Fossils of small animals
All of the answer choices are correct
None of the answer choices are correct
All of the answer choices are correct
This short passage includes a lot of information and details about the fossils and lakebeds found in Antarctica. The passage explains that there was a change in the environment. Currently, Antarctica is freezing and not hospitable for life year-round, but there was evidence of moss and small animals that were found in fossils in ancient lakebeds. This tells readers that at one point, it must have been warmer than it is today to support life.
Example Question #5 : Fossils As Evidence
High up in the Himalaya Mountains, fossils of fish and other aquatic sea animals have been found. These mountains are hundreds of miles away from the closest sea. They are snow-capped at the tip, and the land is dry and brown. The layered rocks of the Himalayas are rich with not only fossils of aquatic creatures but also fossils of coral reef remnants and marine plants.
What does this information tell researchers or scientists?
None of these answer choices are correct.
The environment has changed in this region over time.
The mountains have moved over the years from an ocean area to where they are now.
Fish and other aquatic creatures used to live on the sides and tops of mountains.
The environment has changed in this region over time.
Scientists or researchers study fossils to learn about the environment and any changes that may have occurred over time. In this example, aquatic plants, animals, and coral reef fossils were found in the rock layers of the Himalaya Mountains, which is not typical for what we know of the environment today. When thinking about where these types of fossils are usually found, scientists could see that this area used to be underwater.
Example Question #1 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
High up in the Himalaya Mountains, fossils of fish and other aquatic sea animals have been found. These mountains are hundreds of miles away from the closest sea. They are snow-capped at the tip, and the land is dry and brown. The layered rocks of the Himalayas are rich with not only fossils of aquatic creatures but also fossils of coral reef remnants and marine plants.
Where would these types of fossils typically be found?
Tundras
Deserts
Oceans
Rainforests
Oceans
Scientists or researchers study fossils to learn about the environment and any changes that may have occurred over time. Typically fossils of coral reefs, marine plants, and aquatic creatures would be found in an ocean. These fossils were found in the rock layers of the Himalaya Mountains, which shows there was a change in the environment over time.
Example Question #4 : Use Fossils As Evidence Of Environments Organisms Lived In
Researchers were digging in the desert when they came across a fossilized cactus leaf buried in the sand. This discovery proves that this environment has changed immensely over time.
True
False
False
The statement in the question is false. If a cactus leaf was found, it means the environment was a desert at the time of the plant's death. The area is still a desert, which shows this area has not changed during the two time periods. There are other examples of areas that have changed drastically through the years, but this is not one of them.
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