Relative dating is a method used to determine the age of rocks and fossils in relation to one another, without providing an exact age.

• A. It uses fossils to determine the exact year
• B. It compares ages relative to other rocks
• C. It relies on chemical composition to date
• D. It uses rock color alone to determine age

Answer: (B)

Relative dating is about figuring out which rocks and fossils are older or younger by comparing them to each other, not by assigning exact calendar years. The key idea is to establish a sequence of events: younger layers sit atop older ones, thanks to the law of superposition, and the fossils within those layers can help place them in a relative timeline because species appeared and disappeared over time. Features that cut through rocks, like faults or intrusions, show they occurred after the surrounding rocks.

So the best way to describe the method is that it compares ages relative to other rocks, building a chronological order without giving specific dates. Fossils can help with ordering, while absolute dating methods would be needed to assign actual years. Color or chemical composition alone don’t provide reliable ages, and they don’t yield a precise calendar date.