Fossils and Evidence of Past Life — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Which Grade 3 choice best describes a fossil?
A) Any rock that is very old
B) Preserved remains or traces of a long-ago organism
C) A living plant found in a forest
D) A toy model of a dinosaur
Grade 3 science defines a fossil as preserved remains or traces of a past organism.
2. Which of these is a trace fossil in Grade 3 science?
A) A dinosaur tooth
B) A fossilized leaf
C) A dinosaur footprint
D) A fossil shell
A footprint shows activity, so Grade 3 science classifies it as a trace fossil.
3. Sea creature fossils on a mountain most likely mean that area was once:
A) A hot desert
B) Under the ocean
C) A thick forest
D) Covered in ice
Grade 3 science reasons the mountain was once under water because sea creatures live in oceans.
4. Which animal is extinct, according to Grade 3 fossil evidence?
A) Gray wolf
B) House sparrow
C) Woolly mammoth
D) Red fox
Grade 3 science identifies the woolly mammoth as an extinct species known from fossils.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. An animal that once lived but has none alive today is called extinct.
Grade 3 science uses extinct for species no longer living anywhere on Earth.
2. Comparing extinct creatures to modern animals helps scientists picture how they lived.
Grade 3 science compares fossils with modern animals to model past life.
3. Scientists can tell a fossil is not a rock by its body pattern or shape.
Grade 3 science uses body shape patterns to tell fossils apart from ordinary rocks.
4. A modern elephant and a mammoth share features, so they are related to each other.
Grade 3 science teaches that similar traits suggest mammoths and elephants are related.
5. Using fossils, scientists build a picture of what life was like in the past.
Grade 3 science uses fossil evidence to reconstruct the past on Earth.