The correct order of the following is:
- AMesozoic → Archaeozoic → Proterozoic
- BPalaeozoic → Archaeozoic → Cenozoic
- CArchaeozoic → Palaeozoic → Proterozoic
- DPalaeozoic → Mesozoic → Cenozoic
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: (d) Palaeozoic → Mesozoic → Cenozoic
Explanation
The geological time scale divides the Earth's history into eras. The three eras of the Phanerozoic eon, from the oldest to the newest, are:
- Palaeozoic ("ancient life", from about 541 million years ago): invertebrates, fishes, amphibians and the first land plants;
- Mesozoic ("middle life", from about 252 million years ago): the age of reptiles and dinosaurs, with the first mammals, birds and flowering plants;
- Cenozoic ("recent life", from about 66 million years ago to now): the age of mammals.
The Archaeozoic and Proterozoic come before the Palaeozoic, so the other orders are wrong.