What Fossils Can and Cannot Tell Us: teacher key

Dinosaurs, grade 5 edition, written for 5th grade. Dinosaur fossils are rare, and early scientists sometimes put bones in the wrong place. Read about giants, odd crests and what ended the dinosaurs.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What did early scientists think Stegosaurus plates did?
   • They lay flat on its back (answer)
   • They were wings
   • They were horns
2. Where did early scientists put the spiky thumb bone of Iguanodon?
   • On its tail
   • On its nose (answer)
   • On its back
3. About what share of Earth's animals lived through the mass extinction?
   • About one quarter (answer)
   • About half
   • About three quarters
4. What does unusual mean in this book?
   • Not common (answer)
   • Very large
   • Very old
5. About how long ago did a giant asteroid hit Earth?
   • 66 million years ago (answer)
   • 6 million years ago
   • 600 million years ago

Words

• crest: head ridge
• unusual: not common
• predators: hunting animals