If a fossil is found in strata below a layer dated at 8 million years, its age is:

• A. Younger than 8 million years
• B. Older than 8 million years
• C. About 8 million years
• D. Cannot be determined

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is stratigraphic dating: deeper layers form earlier, so objects in those layers are older than anything in layers above. If a fossil sits in a layer that lies below another layer dated to 8 million years, that fossil must be older than 8 million years. The date of the upper layer provides a time marker, and the fossil’s position beneath it indicates it predates that marker. This is a matter of relative age, not an exact date, so you can say it is older than 8 million years (without claiming a specific age unless you date the fossil itself). In typical undisturbed sequences, the conclusion is straightforward; anomalies like reworking or faulting could complicate things, but the standard expectation is older.