ATAR 12 Human Biology - Fossils as
Evidence for Evolution Exam Questions
and Answers
Fossil - Correct Answers -A trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in
rock.
Artefact - Correct Answers -Object that has been made by humans, such as weapons,
clothing, jewellery and pottery
Alkaline - Correct Answers -Having a pH greater than 7
Dating - Correct Answers -Determining the age of a material.
Absolute dating - Correct Answers -A technique used to determine the actual age of a
fossil
Fluorine Dating - Correct Answers -A relative (chemical) dating method that compares
the accumulation of fluorine in animal and human bones from the same site.
Piltdown Skull - Correct Answers -Skull found in Piltdown England that was a fake fossil
of ape and human parts
Phylogenetic Tree - Correct Answers -Diagram showing evolutionary relationships of
organisms with a common ancestor; resembles a tree
Relative dating - Correct Answers -A technique used to determine which of two fossils is
older
Potassium-argon dating - Correct Answers -A method of dating rocks from the relative
proportions of radioactive potassium-40 and its decay product, argon-40.
Radiocarbon dating - Correct Answers -A chemical analysis used to determine the age
of organic materials based on their content of the radioisotope carbon-14
Isotope - Correct Answers -Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of
neutrons
Half-life - Correct Answers -Length of time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a
sample to decay
Evidence for Evolution Exam Questions
and Answers
Fossil - Correct Answers -A trace of an ancient organism that has been preserved in
rock.
Artefact - Correct Answers -Object that has been made by humans, such as weapons,
clothing, jewellery and pottery
Alkaline - Correct Answers -Having a pH greater than 7
Dating - Correct Answers -Determining the age of a material.
Absolute dating - Correct Answers -A technique used to determine the actual age of a
fossil
Fluorine Dating - Correct Answers -A relative (chemical) dating method that compares
the accumulation of fluorine in animal and human bones from the same site.
Piltdown Skull - Correct Answers -Skull found in Piltdown England that was a fake fossil
of ape and human parts
Phylogenetic Tree - Correct Answers -Diagram showing evolutionary relationships of
organisms with a common ancestor; resembles a tree
Relative dating - Correct Answers -A technique used to determine which of two fossils is
older
Potassium-argon dating - Correct Answers -A method of dating rocks from the relative
proportions of radioactive potassium-40 and its decay product, argon-40.
Radiocarbon dating - Correct Answers -A chemical analysis used to determine the age
of organic materials based on their content of the radioisotope carbon-14
Isotope - Correct Answers -Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of
neutrons
Half-life - Correct Answers -Length of time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a
sample to decay
