Weekly activities

17 April – 21 April
Activity 1
QUESTION 1

Various options are provided as possible answers to the following questions.

Choose the correct answer and write only the letter (A to D) next to the
question number in your ANSWER BOOK, for example 1.2 D.

1.1 How long did the Cambrian Explosion last?

A 38 to 40 years
B 18 to 20 million years
C 18 to 20 years
D 38 to 40 million years (2)

QUESTION 2

Study the Geological Time Scale below and answer the questions that follow.
2.1 What does “MYA” stand for as shown in the diagram? (1)

2.2 According to the time scale above, when did the Triassic period start? (1)

2.3 In which Period are we living in now? (1)

2.4 How long did the Ordovician period last? Show all working. (3)

2.5 In which geological period did the reptiles first appear? (1)

2.6 What major event took place 543mya that saw a rapid increase in the
number of species on Earth? (1)
2.7 During which period did the Mass Extinction occur that wiped out the
dinosaurs? (1)

2.8 Discuss any ONE theory that scientists put forward to explain the Mass
 Extinction mentioned in Question 2.7 above. (3)
(12)
Activity 2
QUESTION 1

Evidence suggests that five mass extinctions have occurred throughout the
history of the Earth—the most famous of which led to the extinction of the
dinosaurs. Scientists are still studying the causes of these catastrophic
events.
Study the graph below and answer the question that follow:

1.1 Identify:
(a) the era with the shortest duration.
(b) the era with the longest duration.
(c) the era with the least geological periods. (3)

1.2 According to graph, approximately how long did the Mesozoic era
last? Show all your calculations. (3)

1.3 The Cenozoic era is known to have produced the modern humans,
modern mammal species and also the extinction of large mammals
such as the mammoths.
(a) How many years ago did that happen? (1)
(b) Explain what is meant by mass extinction. (2)
(c) Name the FIVE mass extinctions that have already happened. (5)
 (14)
QUESTION 2

The following questions are based on the extinction of dinosaurs on

Earth.

2.1 What evidence do scientists use to show that dinosaurs once

existed on Earth? (1)
2.2 How long ago did the dinosaurs become extinct? (2)
2.3
Describe a hypothesis that has been proposed for the extinction of
many species, including the dinosaurs, during the time mentioned
in QUESTION 2.2. (6)
(9)

QUESTION 3
At the end of the Cretaceous Period, large numbers of plants and animal
became extinct. Scientists are still trying to understand why some types of
plants and animals survived while others died out. The table below shows the
data of the amphibians, reptiles and mammals that lived during this period.

Animal Type Groups living Groups left

before the after
extinction extinction

Amphibians 12 4

Reptiles 63 30

Mammals 24 8

3.1 Calculate the percentage of mammals that survived. (3)

3.2 Which group of animals was the least affected by extinction? (1)
3.3 Draw a bar graph to compare the group of living animals before
and after extinction. (6)
(10)

ACTIVITY 3
QUESTION 1

Various options are provided as possible answers to the following questions.

Choose the correct answer and write only the letter (A to D) next to the
question number (1.1 to 1.2) in your ANSWER BOOK, for example 1.3 D.
1.1 Palaeontology is a study of…

A the half-life of radioactive substances.

B continental drift.
C fossils.
D changes during the Cambrian explosion.

1.2 …….. are the richest sources of fossils.

A Layers of strata
B Index fossils
C Mineral salts
D Sedimentary rocks
(4)
QUESTION 2

Give the correct biological term for each of the following descriptions. Write
only the term next to the question number (2.1 to 2.3) in your ANSWER
BOOK.

2.1 The remains of once living things that are usually preserved in
2.2 rocks.
A fossil of an organism between two clearly defined stages of
2.3 evolutionary development.
A method that allows scientists to say that a fossil is older than (3)
another but not telling exactly how old a particular fossil is.

QUESTION 3 (Questions taken from various sources)

Indicate whether each of the statements in COLUMN I applies to A ONLY, B

ONLY, BOTH A AND B or NONE of the items in COLUMN II. Write A only, B
only, both A and B, or none next to the question number (3.1 to 3.3) in the
ANSWER BOOK.

COLUMN I COLUMN II
3.1 The process by which the A Petrification
remains of organisms are B Extinction
replaced by silica or
calcium and turned into
stone
3.2 Scientist who studies A Paleontologist
ancient life forms through B Geologist
fossils
3.3 The method that allows A Fossilization
scientists to say that one B Relative dating
fossil is older than the
other
(3 x 2) (6)

QUESTION 4
Suppose that we studied three different sections of the cliff in the figure below:
The three sections are far apart from each other, but the rock layers are joined.

Study the section of the cliff preserved in different hills shown in the diagram and
answer the question that follows:

4.1 Which are the youngest fossils and in what type do they occur? (2)

4.2 Were the youngest sediments mentioned in QUESTION 4.1

deposited in the sea or in land?
Explain your answer. (3)

4.3 Which is the oldest fossil and in what rock type do they occur? (2)
4.4 Sections A, B and C are different. Explain why and how the layers
have changed from one cliff face to the next. (5)
(12)

QUESTION 5
 The picture below shows a fossil of a prehistoric bird dating from about 150 mya.
It had characteristics that are similar to dinosaurs as well as to that of modern-day
birds.
Study the picture and answer the questions that follow.

5.1 What is the name of this pre-historic fossil? (1)

5.2 Name three characteristics of the fossil named in QUESTION
5.1 that are similar to dinosaurs. (3)
5.3 Name two internal features of the fossil named in QUESTION
5.1 that resemble those of birds. (2)
(6)

Memo

Activity 1

QUESTION 1

1.1 D  (2)

QUESTION 2

2.1 million years ago  (1)

2.2 245 mya  (1)

2.3 Period - Quarternary  (1)

2.4 500 – 440 mya = 60 mya (3)

2.5 Pennsylvanian (1)

2.6 Cambrian Explosion (1)

2.7 Cretaceous (1)

2.8 Volcanic activity - around India

released dust particles into the atmosphere
caused global cooling

OR
Asteroid impact – large dust clouds blocked out the sun
caused global climate change
OR

Continental drift – as continents move away from each other

caused climate change
(3)
(12)

ACTIVITY 2
QUESTION 1

1.1 (a) Cenozoic 

(b) Paleozoic 
(c) Cenozoic  (3)

1.2 251 mya – 65.5 mya = 185,5 mya  (3)

1.3 (a) 65.5 mya  (1)

(b) It is when many species are lost/disappear  in the same (2)

period of time

(c) Ordovician Mass Extinction

Devonian Mass Extinction
Permian Mass Extinction
Triassic-Jurassic Mass Extinction  (5)
Cretaceous-Tertiary Mass Extinction  (14)

QUESTION 2

2.1 Fossils (1)

2.2 65 million years ago (2)

2.3 A comet, an asteroid or part of a star from outer space struck

the Earth/Gulf of Mexico, which resulted in
 - large clouds of dust blocking out the sun
- which stopped photosynthesis
- and also caused global cooling/dinosaurs might have been
ectotherms and not able to live in the cold
- Also led to world-wide fires
- and monstrous tsunamis (Any 6) (6)
(9)
QUESTION 3

3.1 8/24 x 100= 33,3 % (3)

3.2 Reptiles (1)

3.3

Criterion Mark Allocation

Correct type of graph (T) 1
Caption for graph (C)
1
Correct label for Y-axis and X-axis (L) 1
Correct scale for Y-axis and size of
bars and spaces between bars (S) 1
Plotting of points:
1 to 5 bars correct (P) 1
(6)
OR
(10)
All 6 bars correct 2
Activity 3
QUESTION 1

1.1 C 
1.2 D  (4)

QUESTION 2
2.1 Fossil 
2.2 Transitional fossil 
2.3 Relative dating  (3)

QUESTION 3
3.1 A 
3.2 A 
3.3 B  (6)

QUESTION 4

4.1 The youngest fossils are the dinosaur fossil  and they are preserved
in sandstone rock  (2)

4.2 Dinosaurs are land animals  which suggests that the sediments were
deposited on land . (3)

4.3 The oldest sediments are mudstone  containing bivalves, e.g. oysters 
which are preserved in mudstone rock. (3)

4.4 The cliff faces are probably far apart and when the layers of sediments
were deposited Millions of years ago they were they were not all deposited
over the area that covers all the cliffs .
Section A is the only cliff that contains petrified wood . Also, all the cliffs
have not been eroded to the same extent so not all the layers are exposed
to each section, and in some sections some layers have already been
eroded away . (5)

QUESTION 5

5.1 Archaeopteryx  (1)

5.2 It had a skull with teeth and jaws more similar to dinosaurs .
It did not have a beak like a bird .
It had three claws on the end of the bones of each wing
The sacrum is made up of six vertebrae .in birds there are 11-23
vertebrae in the
 sacrum 
It had” belly ribs” which are bony structures found in the wall of the
abdomen of many reptiles. 
It had a long bony sternum and a body tail  (any 3x1=3)

5.3 Hollow bones

Wish bone (2)