FTCE Subject Area Practice Test 2025 – Comprehensive Prep Guide

The presence of seashell fossils along a mountain range most likely indicates that the area was once submerged underwater in the past. This is because fossils are formed from the remains of organisms that lived in specific environments. Seashells, in particular, are found in marine settings, and their presence in an elevated location suggests that those regions were previously covered by ocean water.

Fossils found in mountains often result from geological processes that uplift oceanic sediments or marine life that were deposited at the ocean floor. Over time, tectonic activity can cause these underwater layers to be pushed upward, forming mountain ranges. Therefore, the discovery of seashell fossils supports the idea that the region was once part of a marine ecosystem before geological processes altered its position.

Other options relate to geological phenomena that do not adequately explain the finding of marine fossils in a mountain context. Thus, the correct interpretation is that the area was submerged underwater in the past, allowing seashells to accumulate and eventually become fossilized in what is now a mountainous region.