Question

1. analyses provide only relative dates, not an ______ scale.
2. earth has a 4.6-______-year history.
3. the oldest fossils are found in the ______ layer of the fossil record.

word bank:
fossil record bottom absolute billion

Explanation:

For question 2: The sentence is about dating scales, and "absolute" is the opposite of "relative" in dating (relative vs absolute dating), so Blank 1: absolute.
For question 3: Earth's age is 4.6 billion years, so Blank 2: billion.
For question 4: Oldest fossils are in the bottom layer of fossil record (due to sedimentation, older layers are lower), so Blank 3: bottom; Blank 4: fossil (to complete "layer of the fossil record").

Answer:

Blank 1: absolute
Blank 2: billion
Blank 3: bottom
Blank 4: fossil