Questions & Answers
Browse all 20 questions from the
Palaeontology Foundations study set below.
Each question shows the correct answer â select a study format above to practice interactively.
1
Who is often credited with coining the term 'Dinosauria' in 1842?
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A
Charles Darwin
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B
Richard Owen
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C
Mary Anning
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D
Georges Cuvier
2
Which English fossil collector is famous for discovering the first correctly identified ichthyosaur skeleton?
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A
William Buckland
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B
Gideon Mantell
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C
Mary Anning
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D
Louis Agassiz
3
What is the name of the oldest known genus of dinosaur, described by William Buckland in 1824?
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A
Megalosaurus
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B
Iguanodon
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C
T-Rex
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D
Stegosaurus
4
Which French naturalist is considered the father of paleontology for his work on extinction?
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A
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
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B
Georges Cuvier
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C
Thomas Jefferson
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D
Charles Lyell
5
In which century did the scientific study of fossils begin to emerge as a distinct discipline?
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A
15th century
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B
17th century
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C
19th century
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D
20th century
6
The Iguanodon was one of the first dinosaurs scientifically described, by which individual in 1825?
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A
Gideon Mantell
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B
Richard Owen
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C
Robert Plot
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D
Alfred Wegener
7
What does the term 'palaeontology' literally mean?
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A
Study of rocks
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B
Study of ancient life
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C
Study of climate
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D
Study of volcanoes
8
Which 17th-century scientist was one of the first to suggest that fossils were the remains of ancient organisms?
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A
Robert Hooke
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B
Isaac Newton
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C
Gregor Mendel
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D
Carl Linnaeus
9
What is the definition of a trace fossil?
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A
A preserved bone
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B
A footprint or burrow
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C
A complete skeleton
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D
A fossilized egg
10
The process by which organic material is replaced by minerals to form a fossil is called what?
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A
Erosion
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B
Petrifaction
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C
Sedimentation
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D
Volcanism
11
Which era is commonly referred to as the 'Age of Reptiles'?
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A
Paleozoic
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B
Mesozoic
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C
Cenozoic
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D
Precambrian
12
Who published 'Principles of Geology', a book that influenced early palaeontological thought?
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A
Charles Lyell
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B
Charles Darwin
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C
James Hutton
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D
William Smith
13
The first geological map of England and Wales, showing fossil distributions, was created by whom?
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A
William Smith
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B
John Phillips
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C
Mary Anning
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D
Richard Owen
14
What is the study of fossilized plants called?
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A
Paleoanthropology
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B
Paleobotany
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C
Palynology
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D
Geology
15
Which type of rock are most fossils typically found in?
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A
Igneous
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B
Metamorphic
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C
Sedimentary
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D
Volcanic
16
What was the first dinosaur to be formally named in a scientific publication?
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A
Megalosaurus
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B
Triceratops
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C
Brachiosaurus
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D
Velociraptor
17
The 'Bone Wars' was a period of intense fossil hunting competition between which two men?
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A
Darwin and Wallace
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B
Marsh and Cope
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C
Owen and Mantell
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D
Smith and Lyell
18
What major event is often associated with the disappearance of the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous?
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A
Ice Age
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B
Asteroid impact
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C
Human hunting
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D
Continental drift
19
Which scientist is known for developing the theory of 'catastrophism' to explain fossil records?
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A
Georges Cuvier
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B
Charles Darwin
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C
James Hutton
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D
Louis Agassiz
20
Amber is a type of fossilization that preserves what?
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A
Entire organisms in resin
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B
Only bones
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C
Only leaves
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D
Only teeth
