Quiz on Charles Darwin and Evolution

Who was the first to explain with evidence how evolution might occur by natural selection?

• Isaac Newton

• Gregor Mendel

• Albert Einstein

• Charles Darwin

In what year did Darwin join the expedition on the HMS Beagle?

• 1841

• 1861

• 1831

• 1851

What did Darwin observe in the Galapagos Islands that helped him form his theory?

• Giant tortoises with unique physical characteristics

• Birds with different beak shapes

• Fossils of dinosaurs

• Fish with varying colors

Which British intellectual's work helped Darwin explain how evolution works in nature?

• Adam Smith

• Thomas Robert Malthus

• David Hume

• John Locke

What is the main idea of Malthus' essay on demography that influenced Darwin?

• Economic growth is driven by population increase

• Population growth will outpace food supply, leading to a struggle for survival

• Natural resources are infinite

• Human behavior is influenced by economic incentives

What did Darwin conclude about the origin of species, including humans?

• They were created independently by a divine force

• They were brought to Earth by aliens

• They descended from a common ancestor

• They appeared spontaneously

Who reached the same conclusion about evolution by natural selection as Darwin?

• Alfred Russel Wallace

• Thomas Huxley

• Gregor Mendel

• Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

What was the title of Darwin's book published a year after presenting the joint letter with Wallace?

• The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals

• On the Origin of Species

• The Voyage of the Beagle

• The Descent of Man

How did Darwin's findings impact Victorian Britain?

• They were ignored by the scientific community

• They confirmed the existing beliefs about creation

• They shook the foundations of Victorian Britain

• They were immediately accepted by everyone

What did Darwin's theory suggest about the role of God in the diversity of life?

• God directly created all species

• Diversity came from a biological process without any interference from God

• God created only humans

• God created the environment but not the species