Clues that living things share ancestors

Grade 7 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Four rock layers (model data). Rock-layers diagram, layers never moved, top to bottom. Ari reads four rock layers that were never moved. Which fossil is the oldest?

   • The fish in Layer 3, since it sits just above the deepest
   • The fern leaf in Layer 1, since the top layer is oldest
   • The snail shell in Layer 2, since it sits just below the top
   • The coral in Layer 4, since the deepest layer is oldest

2. Read this first

   Use this

   Four rock layers (model data). Rock-layers diagram, layers never moved, top to bottom. Layer 1 (top): leaf print. Layer 2: clam shell. Layer 3: fish scale. Layer 4 (deepest): sponge.

3. 2.

   Bo lists the fossils from oldest to youngest. Which list is in the right order?

   • Sponge, clam shell, fish scale, leaf print
   • Sponge, fish scale, clam shell, leaf print
   • Leaf print, clam shell, fish scale, sponge
   • Fish scale, sponge, leaf print, clam shell
4. 3.

   Four rock layers (model data). Rock-layers diagram, layers never moved, top to bottom. Esme says the worm trail in Layer 4 is the youngest fossil. Which statement is right?

   • It is the same age as the leaf print, since both are in rock
   • It is the youngest, since the deepest layer formed last
   • It is the oldest, since the deepest layer formed first
   • It is the same age as the pine cone, since the layers touch
5. 4.

   Kira matches bones by letter. Bone C in the whale flipper is the ulna. What is bone C in the cat leg?

   • The radius, since it sits right next to the ulna
   • The humerus, since it is the first bone in the whole row
   • A new bone, since cats walk and whales swim
   • The ulna, since the same letter marks a matching bone

6. Use the table

   Limb bones (letters A, B and C mark matching bones) (real bone names: Understanding Evolution, UC Berkeley; letters are labels). Comparison chart.

   Animal	Bone A	Bone B	Bone C	Job of the limb
   Whale flipper	humerus	radius	ulna	swimming
   Bat wing	humerus	radius	ulna	flying

7. 5.

   Luz sees the whale flipper swims and the bat wing flies, yet both have bones A, B and C. What does this show?

   • Limbs with the same job must have the same bones
   • Limbs with the same bones must have the same job
   • Limbs with the same bones can do different jobs
   • Limbs with different jobs must have different bones
8. 6.

   Milo needs a word for body parts built from the same bones that do different jobs. Which word fits?

   • Fossil record
   • Homologous structures
   • Analogous structures
   • Pharyngeal arches
9. 7.

   Pia reads the words fossil record on a museum card. What does the fossil record show?

   • The order of fossils in rock layers over time
   • How alike two living animals look today
   • Which DNA letters two animals share
   • Which living animal turned into another living one
11. 8.

    Ren reads the embryo chart. Which animal has gills as an adult?

    • Fish, since its adult column says yes
    • Turtle, since its early embryo has arches and a tail
    • Mouse, since its early embryo has a tail
    • Chicken, since its early embryo has pharyngeal arches
12. 9.

    Tala reads the same embryo chart. What do all four early embryos share?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • Gills as adults, since the last column says yes
    • The same adult body, since the four embryos look alike
    • Pharyngeal arches and a tail, since each row says yes
    • Gills and fins, since the fish row says yes
13. 10.

    Zee reads that a mouse embryo and a fish embryo both have pharyngeal arches and a tail. What does that suggest?

    • The mouse came from a living fish
    • The two grow up to look alike
    • The two share an ancestor from long ago
    • The mouse will grow gills