Extinction and Appearance Practice Test

Fossils provide evidence of extinction and appearance in the fossil record. Two rock columns from different locations are compared. Layers are ordered oldest (1) to youngest (4).

Column East fossils:

• Layer 1: Brachiopod
• Layer 2: Brachiopod, Fish scale
• Layer 3: Fish scale
• Layer 4: Fish scale

Column West fossils:

• Layer 1: Brachiopod
• Layer 2: Brachiopod
• Layer 3: Brachiopod, Fish scale
• Layer 4: Fish scale

Which statement about the fossil record is supported by the evidence?

Fossils provide evidence of extinction and appearance in the fossil record. A rock column has layers ordered by time (oldest to youngest): A, B, C, D, E. The table shows which fossils were found.

Which evidence shows the first appearance of Species X in this fossil record (appearance means the first layer where its fossils are found, not that it was “created”)?