Multiple Choice
At the time Charles Darwin sailed on HMS Beagle, __________.
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21. Evolution
Introduction to Evolution and Natural Selection
Multiple Choice
What insight did Darwin gain from reading Thomas Malthus's essay on human suffering?
A
Natural selection should be capable of considerable modifications over hundreds of thousands of generations.
B
Population size usually remains relatively stable.
C
Favorable characteristics of a population accumulate over time.
D
All of the listed responses are correct.
E
Organisms have the capacity to produce more offspring than the environment can support.
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the context: Thomas Malthus's essay discussed the idea that human populations grow faster than the resources available to support them, leading to competition and suffering.
Connect Malthus's ideas to Darwin's theory: Darwin applied Malthus's concept of population pressure to natural populations, realizing that organisms produce more offspring than can survive due to limited resources.
Recognize the implication for natural selection: This overproduction leads to a struggle for existence, where only those individuals with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce.
Consider the long-term effects: Over many generations, this process results in the accumulation of advantageous traits within a population, leading to evolutionary change.
Summarize the insight: Darwin's insight from Malthus was that the capacity for organisms to produce more offspring than the environment can support is a driving force behind natural selection and evolution.
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