Theories of evolution quiz

Which of these theories of evolution was proposed by Charles Darwin?

• Epigenetic Inheritance Theory

• Speciation Theory

• Theory of the Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics

• Theory of Natural Selection

Answer explanation

Natural selection is the process through which populations of living organisms adapt and change. Individuals in a population are naturally variable, meaning that they are all different in some ways. This variation means that some individuals have traits better suited to the environment than others. Individuals with adaptive traits—traits that give them some advantage—are more likely to survive and reproduce. These individuals then pass the adaptive traits on to their offspring.

Which of these theories of evolution was proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck?

• 1. Theory of Natural Selection

• 1. Theory of the Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics (use and disuse)

• 1. Speciation Theory

• 1. Epigenetic Inheritance Theory

Answer explanation

According to Lamarck, when environments changed, organisms had to change their behavior to survive. If they began to use an organ more than they had in the past, it would increase in its lifetime. If a giraffe stretched its neck for leaves, for example, its neck would be longer. Its offspring would inherit the longer neck, and continued stretching would make it longer still over several generations. Meanwhile organs that organisms stopped using would shrink. This is also called the theory of use and disuse.

Who was Charles Darwin?

• A man who liked birds.

• A doctor.

• A lawyer.

• The man who studied natural selection and became the foundation of modern evolutionary studies.

What is Evolution?

• A change of heritable traits within a population across generations

• 
  When animals change to a human.

• The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.

• The process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and spontaneously diversified.

What is natural selection?

• Animals that have acquired traits to survive and reproduce.

• People picking the mates for the animals.

• Animals who pick who they want to mate with.

• People change the DNA of animals to make them have desired traits.

What is variation?

• Species that change.

• Difference in traits.

• Animals that are the same.

• Things that vary.

What does "Survival Of the Fittest" mean?

• 
  The best adapted organisms

• The fastest organisms

• The biggest organisms

• The smartest organisms

Lamarck hypothesized that species evolved _____.

• From previous species

• Randomly

• By mating between different species

• Due to changes in the inherited DNA sequence

Why is Lamarck considered an influential figure in the field of evolution?

• 1. He was the first to try to explain how new species evolve.

• 1. He discovered DNA as the mechanism of inheritance.

• 1. He cut the tails off mice to demonstrate acquired characteristics.

• 1. He bred giraffes to have long necks.

Whose theory included "acquired traits" such as a giraffe needing a long neck so they stretch it over time?

• Georges Cuvier

• Charles Darwin

• Jean Baptiste Lamarck

• Alfred Wallace