What Happened Before Cloze Notes

In science class last week, our teacher gave us many fossils with the remnants of plants and animals. One of the fossils looked similar to a fish from our classroom fish tank. The remains of this ancient fish was preserved within the rock. It was amazing to observe a creature from thousands of years ago that looks like something we would see today. Maybe one day the fish in our tank can become a fossil, too! Recent construction of a Los Angeles subway system unveiled buried evidence of many organisms from thousands of years ago. The fossils revealed animals and plants that once lived in the area. The fossils provided scientists with clues about the environment of the surrounding area long ago. Back then the environment supported organisms, such as a mastodon and an ancient species of camel. The scientists also found evidence of a great flood 9,000 years ago that swept away trees. During an excavation on a mountain, a scientist discovered a fossil of an organism with two legs, two arms, and a tail. As the scientist dug deeper, a fossil with fins and a flat tail was found. A third fossil of a plant with many thin leaves was exposed even deeper than the previous fossil. The scientist drew a diagram, or representation, of the layers with each of the fossils in the order of discovery. This model would be helpful in retelling of past organisms and events within this environment based on these excavated fossils. Studying the fossils of a certain region is best for giving scientists evidence about which of the following characteristics of that area? The rates of weathering and erosion. The type of environment long ago. The number of earthquakes during the year. The kind of climate in the future.