Living Things
What are the six characteristics of living things?
Made of cells, grow, reproduce, respond to the environment, use energy, get rid of waste.
Name one organelle and its function.
Nucleus (controls the cell); Mitochondria (makes energy); Cell membrane (protects the cell).
What appeared during the Cambrian period?
First animals with shells and hard parts, like trilobites.
What type of rock contains fossils?
Sedimentary rock.
What are the three types of rocks?
Igneous, Sedimentary, Metamorphic.
What makes an organism alive?
It grows, uses energy, reproduces, responds to the environment, and gets rid of waste.
How are plant and animal cells different?
Plant cells have a cell wall and chloroplasts; animal cells do not.
What era did dinosaurs live in?
Mesozoic Era.
What are the Earth’s layers in order (outermost to innermost)?
Crust, Mantle, Outer Core (liquid), Inner Core (solid).
How do sedimentary rocks form?
From layers of sediment pressing together.
What’s the difference between multicellular and unicellular?
Multicellular = many cells; Unicellular = one cell.
What is passive transport? Give an example.
Moves materials without energy; example: oxygen moving into cells.
How did mammals change after the dinosaurs went extinct?
Mammals evolved into more types, including humans.
How do large crystals form in rocks?
From slow cooling of magma or lava.
What is relative vs. absolute age?
Relative age: Older or younger compared to other rocks
Absolute age: Exact age in years
Why are there very few fossils from Precambrian time?
Most organisms were soft-bodied and didn’t leave hard parts behind to fossilize.
What do chloroplasts do?
Use sunlight to make food (photosynthesis).
List events in the Cenozoic, Mesozoic, and Paleozoic eras.
Cenozoic: Humans and mammals appeared
Mesozoic: Dinosaurs lived
Paleozoic: Fish, insects, and plants appeared
What are unconformities?
Gaps in rock layers caused by erosion or missing time.
Name 3 mineral tests.
Color, streak, hardness, luster, cleavage/fracture.
What happened in the Quaternary period?
Ice ages occurred; humans evolved and spread worldwide.
What is active transport?
Uses energy to move materials, even against concentration gradient (e.g., nutrients into cells).
What is the law of superposition?
In rock layers, the oldest layers are at the bottom, youngest at the top.
Describe weathering, erosion, and deposition.
Weathering: Breaks down rocks
Erosion: Moves them
Deposition: Drops them in a new place
Describe the full rock cycle.
Igneous forms from cooled lava/magma
Sedimentary forms from sediment layers
Metamorphic forms from heat/pressure
Rocks can change types through melting, weathering, or pressure