In this task, you are given a question and answer for that. The answer will fill in the blank or will complete the unfinished question. Your task is to provide an explanation based on the given question or fill-in-the-blank statement, and answer.

[Q]: Question: Dan is looking at shells that will be bad candidates for fossilization. He chooses the shells that are 
 Answer: softer
[A]: Hard shells fossilize more readily than soft bodied organisms, as they are better at resisting decay, take significantly longer to break down, and have a greater chance of surviving burial under layers of sediment.


[Q]: Question: Rocks that are buried very shallow are _____ than rocks on the surface. 
 Answer: newer
[A]: The main law is the law of superposition. This law states that deeper rock layers are older than layers closer to the surface.


[Q]: Question: As Dean was surveying the town, he noted that the fewer kids that the neighbors had, the population of the town went 
 Answer: down
[A]:
With exponential growth, the population starts out growing slowly. As population size increases, the growth rate also increases.