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7th grade Clues that living things share ancestors worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

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Clues that living things share ancestors

Grade 7 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

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Circle the best answer.

  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 snail shell in Layer 2, since it sits just below the top
    • 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 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. Bo lists the fossils from oldest to youngest. Which list is in the right order?

    • Sponge, fish scale, clam shell, leaf print
    • Leaf print, clam shell, fish scale, sponge
    • Fish scale, sponge, leaf print, clam shell
    • Sponge, clam shell, fish scale, leaf print
  4. 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 youngest, since the deepest layer formed last
    • It is the same age as the leaf print, since both are in rock
    • It is the oldest, since the deepest layer formed first
    • It is the same age as the pine cone, since the layers touch
  5. 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.

    AnimalBone ABone BBone CJob of the limb
    Whale flipperhumerusradiusulnaswimming
    Bat wing?radiusulnaflying
  6. Jun matches bones by letter. Bone A in the whale flipper is the humerus. What is bone A in the bat wing?

    • The ulna, since it is the last bone in the bat row
    • The humerus, since the same letter marks a matching bone
    • No bone, since a wing and a flipper share no bones
    • A different bone, since flying needs other bones than swimming
  7. 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
    • A new bone, since cats walk and whales swim
    • The ulna, since the same letter marks a matching bone
    • The humerus, since it is the first bone in the whole row
  8. 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.

    AnimalBone ABone BBone CJob of the limb
    Whale flipperhumerusradiusulnaswimming
    Bat winghumerusradiusulnaflying
  9. 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 bones must have the same job
    • Limbs with the same bones can do different jobs
    • Limbs with different jobs must have different bones
    • Limbs with the same job must have the same bones
  10. Milo needs a word for body parts built from the same bones that do different jobs. Which word fits?

    • Analogous structures
    • Homologous structures
    • Fossil record
    • Pharyngeal arches
  11. Ren reads the embryo chart. Which animal has gills as an adult?

    • Turtle, since its early embryo has arches and a tail
    • Mouse, since its early embryo has a tail
    • Fish, since its adult column says yes
    • Chicken, since its early embryo has pharyngeal arches
  12. Tala reads the same embryo chart. What do all four early embryos share?

    Use the picture in question 8.

    • Pharyngeal arches and a tail, since each row says yes
    • Gills as adults, since the last column says yes
    • Gills and fins, since the fish row says yes
    • The same adult body, since the four embryos look alike
  13. 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 share an ancestor from long ago
    • The mouse will grow gills
    • The two grow up to look alike
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7th grade Clues that living things share ancestors worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Evidence of common ancestry: fossils, bones, embryos and DNA. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can say that, in rock layers that were never moved, the deepest layer is the oldest, and put fossils in order of age.
  • I can match the bones of a whale flipper, a bat wing and a cat leg by letter (humerus, radius, ulna) and say that the same bones can do different jobs.
  • I can tell homologous structures (same bones, different jobs) from analogous structures (same job, different build, like a bird wing and a butterfly wing).
  • I can read an embryo chart and say that early fish, chicken, mouse and turtle embryos all have pharyngeal arches and a tail.
  • I can read a fossil sequence (Grand Canyon layers, Tiktaalik, fossil whales) and a DNA-match chart, and say that a match percent counts DNA letters, not body traits.
  • I can say that animals alive today did not turn into each other; they share ancestors from long ago.

Standard: MS-LS4-2, MS-LS4-3

Words to know

fossil record: The order of fossils found in rock layers over time

layer: A band of rock; in layers never moved, the deepest is the oldest

homologous structures: Parts built from the same bones that may do different jobs

analogous structures: Parts with the same job but a different build

pharyngeal arches: Rounded ridges in the head and neck of an early vertebrate embryo

common ancestor: An animal long ago that two or more kinds came from

DNA match: The percent of compared DNA letters that are the same

model data: Numbers made up to show an idea

Common mistakes

Your child thought that parts or animals that look alike or do the same job must be close relatives. Try a bird wing and a butterfly wing. Ask, 'Are the bones inside the same, or just the job?'

Your child thought one kind of animal alive today turned into another kind alive today. Try asking, 'Did the two kinds share an ancestor from long ago?'

Your child thought the top rock layer is the oldest. Try stacking books: the first book put down is on the bottom. Ask, 'Which layer formed first?'

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with clues that living things share ancestors?

Your child thought that parts or animals that look alike or do the same job must be close relatives. Try a bird wing and a butterfly wing. Ask, 'Are the bones inside the same, or just the job?'

Are these 7th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

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