What constitutes a mass extinction?
The sudden loss of all of the plants and animals on land, with those in the sea or freshwater remaining unharmed
The sudden loss of over half of all the plants and animals on the planet - in the sea, in freshwater, and on the land
The sudden loss of over 90% of the plants and animals on the planet - in the sea, in freshwater, and on the land
What is radiometric dating?
Using radio telescopes to date objects in space
Using radio waves to date artefacts
Using radioactive decay to date a geologic event
What is the etymology of the word 'volcano'?
The term is named after the Roman writer who witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius
It comes from the Latin word for 'lava'
Volcanoes take their name from Vulcan, the Roman god of fire
According to the fossil record, how regularly have mass extinctions happened on Earth?
Every 20 to 30 million years
Every 5 to 10 million years
Every 200 million years
What is a 'hydria'?
A water jug
A river
A many-headed serpent found in mythology
What is a half-life?
The amount of time something has been fossilised for
The length of time it takes half of a parent element to decay into its daughter product
A unit of time used when calculating how much to pay to reduce the risk of death
What are sonic anaphones?
Two words that are spelled differently but sound the same
When music mimics 'real' movements
When music mimics 'real' sound
When is the eruption of Vesuvius now thought to have taken place?
September AD 79
August AD 79
October AD 79
What is a 'cena'?
A dog
A wrestler
A main meal
When did the dinosaurs become extinct?
120 million years ago
66 million years ago
37 million years ago