Paleontology Of animal MCQs January 8, 2026March 26, 2024 by u930973931_answers 50 min Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. . Paleontology primarily deals with the study of: (A) Fossils (B) Living organisms (C) Geological formations (D) Climate patterns 2. . What is the name given to the scientist who studies fossils? (A) Paleobotanist (B) Paleontologist (C) Archaeologist (D) Geologist 3. . Which era is known as the “Age of Dinosaurs”? (A) Paleozoic Era (B) Mesozoic Era (C) Cenozoic Era (D) Neolithic Era 4. . What is the study of ancient environments and ecosystems based on fossil evidence called? (A) Taphonomy (B) Paleoecology (C) Biostratigraphy (D) Micropaleontology 5. . What type of fossil is an impression left in sedimentary rock, representing the external surface of an organism? (A) Mold (B) Cast (C) Trace fossil (D) Body fossil 6. . What is the term for the preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms? (A) Fossils (B) Artifacts (C) Minerals (D) Sediments 7. . What is the process by which an organism’s remains are gradually replaced by minerals, preserving its structure? (A) Petrification (B) Fossilization (C) Carbonization (D) Permineralization 8. . Which of the following is NOT a type of fossil preservation? (A) Amber (B) Tar (C) Volcanic ash (D) Ice 9. . Which geological period marks the beginning of complex life forms, including vertebrates? (A) Cambrian (B) Jurassic (C) Silurian (D) Devonian 10. . Which era is known as the “Age of Mammals”? (A) Paleozoic Era (B) Mesozoic Era (C) Cenozoic Era (D) Neolithic Era 11. . The study of ancient climates and climate changes based on geological evidence and fossil records is known as: (A) Paleoclimatology (B) Paleobotany (C) Paleozoology (D) Paleoanthropology 12. . What is the term for the scientific dating of fossils and rocks based on their radioactive isotopes? (A) Radiocarbon dating (B) Stratigraphy (C) Geochronology (D) Dendrochronology 13. . Which of the following is NOT a period of the Mesozoic Era? (A) Triassic (B) Jurassic (C) Devonian (D) Cretaceous 14. . What type of fossil is formed when an organism’s soft parts are preserved in substances like amber or tar? (A) Mold (B) Cast (C) Petrified fossil (D) Resin fossil 15. . Which of the following is NOT a method used to study fossils? (A) Radiocarbon dating (B) Electron microscopy (C) Carbon dating (D) DNA sequencing 16. . What is the term for the study of the evolutionary history of organisms and their relationships? (A) Paleontology (B) Phylogeny (C) Taxonomy (D) Morphology 17. . Which era is known as the “Age of Fishes”? (A) Paleozoic Era (B) Mesozoic Era (C) Cenozoic Era (D) Neolithic Era 18. . Which of the following is NOT a typical preservation bias in the fossil record? (A) Hard-bodied organisms are more likely to fossilize than soft-bodied ones. (B) Aquatic organisms are more likely to fossilize than terrestrial ones. (C) Larger organisms are more likely to fossilize than smaller ones. (D) Animals living in forests are more likely to fossilize than those in deserts. 19. . What type of fossil is formed when sediment fills the inside of a mold, creating a replica of the original organism? (A) Cast (B) Petrified fossil (C) Trace fossil (D) Resin fossil 20. . What is the term for the study of ancient microscopic organisms preserved in rocks? (A) Paleontology (B) Micropaleontology (C) Paleobotany (D) Taphonomy 21. . Which era marks the emergence of multicellular life forms but no animals with hard parts? (A) Paleozoic Era (B) Mesozoic Era (C) Proterozoic Era (D) Archean Era 22. . The study of ancient environments and climates based on pollen and spores preserved in sediments is called: (A) Palynology (B) Paleoclimatology (C) Paleobiology (D) Paleoecology 23. . What is the term for the study of the formation, occurrence, and alteration of rocks? (A) Geology (B) Paleontology (C) Stratigraphy (D) Sedimentology 24. . Which of the following is NOT a typical trace fossil? (A) Footprints (B) Coprolites (C) Amber (D) Burrows 25. . What is the term for the process of determining the relative ages of rock layers and the fossils contained within them? (A) Radiometric dating (B) Stratigraphy (C) Biostratigraphy (D) Taphonomy 26. . What era follows the Mesozoic Era in geological time? (A) Paleozoic Era (B) Cenozoic Era (C) Proterozoic Era (D) Archean Era 27. . Which of the following periods in the Paleozoic Era is known as the “Age of Amphibians”? (A) Devonian (B) Cambrian (C) Silurian (D) Permian 28. . What is the term for the scientific study of ancient DNA preserved in fossils? (A) Paleogenetics (B) Paleomicrobiology (C) Ancient DNA analysis (D) Paleobiogenetics 29. . Which of the following is NOT a method used to determine the age of fossils? (A) Radiometric dating (B) Stratigraphy (C) Genetic analysis (D) Paleomagnetism 30. . What is the term for the study of ancient plant life based on fossil evidence? (A) Paleontology (B) Paleobotany (C) Paleozoology (D) Paleoclimatology 31. . Which period of the Mesozoic Era is known for the dominance of dinosaurs? (A) Triassic (B) Jurassic (C) Cretaceous (D) Permian 32. . What is the term for the study of the processes involved in the formation of fossils? (A) Taphonomy (B) Paleobiology (C) Micropaleontology (D) Sedimentology 33. . Paleontology is the study of: (A) Fossils (B) Rocks (C) Living organisms (D) Climate patterns 34. . Who is considered the father of modern paleontology? (A) Charles Darwin (B) Georges Cuvier (C) Mary Anning (D) Richard Owen 35. . Which geological era is known as the “Age of Dinosaurs”? (A) Paleozoic Era (B) Mesozoic Era (C) Cenozoic Era (D) Precambrian Era 36. . The study of ancient ecosystems and their interactions with ancient organisms is known as: (A) Paleobiology (B) Paleoecology (C) Paleoclimatology (D) Paleobotany 37. . What type of fossil is an impression of an organism left in sedimentary rock? (A) Mold (B) Cast (C) Petrified fossil (D) Trace fossil 38. . What is the name for the process in which the hard parts of an organism are replaced by minerals? (A) Carbonization (B) Permineralization (C) Mold formation (D) Preservation 39. . What is the term for a fossilized track or other evidence of the activity of an organism? (A) Mold (B) Cast (C) Trace fossil (D) Body fossil 40. . The study of the evolutionary history and relationships among groups of organisms is called: (A) Paleontology (B) Phylogeny (C) Taxonomy (D) Morphology 41. . Which of the following is NOT a method used to date fossils? (A) Carbon-14 dating (B) Radiometric dating (C) Stratigraphy (D) Index fossils 42. . What type of fossil preservation involves the trapping of an organism in tree resin that hardens into amber? (A) Amber preservation (B) Tar preservation (C) Ice preservation (D) Permineralization 43. . The Burgess Shale, known for its exceptional preservation of soft-bodied organisms, is located in which country? (A) Canada (B) Australia (C) China (D) Argentina 44. . What is the name for the process in which an organism’s soft tissue is preserved in ice, preventing decomposition? (A) Permineralization (B) Ice preservation (C) Tar preservation (D) Carbonization 45. . Which era is characterized by the explosion of multicellular life forms, often referred to as the “Cambrian Explosion”? (A) Paleozoic Era (B) Mesozoic Era (C) Proterozoic Era (D) Archean Era 46. . What era follows the Mesozoic Era in geological time? (A) Paleozoic Era (B) Cenozoic Era (C) Proterozoic Era (D) Archean Era 47. . The fossil record is biased towards preserving certain types of organisms over others. Which of the following is NOT a typical bias in the fossil record? (A) Terrestrial organisms are more likely to be preserved than aquatic organisms. (B) Large organisms are more likely to be preserved than small organisms. (C) Soft-bodied organisms are more likely to be preserved than hard-bodied organisms. (D) Rare organisms are more likely to be preserved than common organisms. 48. . What is the term for the study of fossilized pollen and spores to reconstruct ancient environments and climates? (A) Palynology (B) Paleoclimatology (C) Paleoecology (D) Paleobotany 49. . The study of ancient DNA preserved in fossils is known as: (A) Paleogenetics (B) Paleomicrobiology (C) Ancient DNA analysis (D) Paleobiogenetics 50. . Which of the following is NOT a typical trace fossil? (A) Footprints (B) Burrows (C) Coprolites (D) Amber