Question

Which of the following is mismatched?

Options

• Cenozoic-grasses and humans

• Cambrian-marine organisms with external skeletons

• Palaeozoic-prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes

• Mesozoic-cycads and dinosaurs

Answer 1

Palaeozoic-prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes

Explanation:

1. Cenozoic era is correctly associated with grasses and humans, as this era is known as the “Age of Mammals,” with the rise of modern flora and fauna including humans.
2. Cambrian period is correctly associated with marine organisms with external skeletons, due to the Cambrian explosion of diverse marine life with exoskeletons.
3. Palaeozoic era is not correctly associated primarily with prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes; this era is more known for the diversification of multicellular life including fishes, amphibians, and early land plants. Prokaryotes and unicellular eukaryotes originated earlier, primarily in the Precambrian era.
4. Mesozoic era is correctly associated with cycads and dinosaurs, as this is known as the “Age of Reptiles” when dinosaurs and gymnosperms like cycads were dominant.