Florida Teacher Certification Examinations (FTCE) Subject Area Practice Test

What is a primary characteristic of Pre Cambrian rock deposits?

1. Presence of dinosaurs

2. Formation of complex life

3. Simple, unicellular organisms

4. Development of flowering plants

The correct answer is: Simple, unicellular organisms

The primary characteristic of Pre-Cambrian rock deposits is the presence of simple, unicellular organisms. During the Pre-Cambrian era, which spans from the formation of the Earth around 4.6 billion years ago to approximately 540 million years ago, life was predominantly microscopic. The organisms that existed were primarily prokaryotic, such as bacteria and archaea, which are single-celled and lack a nucleus. This era is marked by the emergence of the earliest forms of life, and there is no evidence of complex life forms or multicellular organisms until the later part of the era, specifically in the Ediacaran period. Other options, such as the presence of dinosaurs, the formation of complex life, and the development of flowering plants, are characteristics of later geological periods, primarily the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras, respectively. Dinosaurs became prominent during the Mesozoic era, complex multicellular life forms evolved later in the Pre-Cambrian and significantly diversified during the Cambrian explosion, and flowering plants did not appear until much later in the history of Earth. Thus, the choice highlighting simple, unicellular organisms accurately captures the essence of the Pre-Cambrian rock deposits.