Organic Evolution (Biology)

1. What are the changes in our surrounding that make us respond to them called? [S.S.C. Online MTS (T-1) 10.01.2017 (Shift-II)]

(a) Respiration
(b) Excretion
(c) Stimuli
(d) Reproduction

Correct Answer: (c) Stimuli

Solution:In biology, a stimulus (plural: stimuli) is any detectable change in the internal or external environment of an organism that produces a response.

For example, a loud noise, a change in temperature, or the presence of food can all be stimuli that cause an organism to react.

2. The presence of specific features or certain habits that enables a plant or an animal to live in its surrounding are called as _____ . [S.S.C. Online MTS (T-I) 4.01.2017 (Shift-II)]

(a) Adaptation
(b) Habitat
(c ) Terrestrial Habitat
(d) Aquatic habitat

Correct Answer: (a) Adaptation

Solution:Adaptation refers to the evolutionary process whereby an organism becomes better suited to its habitat.

These can be

structural (like a polar bear's thick fur),
physiological (like a camel's ability to conserve water),
or behavioral (like migration patterns).

Adaptations increase an organism's chances of survival and reproduction in its specific environment.

3. Charles Darwin the famous evolutionist, proposed his theory in which one of his books? [S.S.C. Online Graduate Level (T-I) 6.09.2016 (Shift-II)]

(a) The Families of Flowering Plant
(b) The Origin of Species
(c) The Life on Earth
(d) The Story of the Living World

Correct Answer: (b) The Origin of Species

Solution:Charles Darwin's seminal work, "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life," published in 1859, laid out his theory of evolution by natural selection.

This book revolutionized biological thought.

4. Who developed the Theory of Evolution? [S.S.C. Online CHSL (T-I) 20.01.2017 (Shift-I)]

(a) Charles Darwin
(b) Isaac Newton
(c) Pranav Mistry
(d) Galileo Galilei

Correct Answer: (a) Charles Darwin

Solution:The Theory of Evolution was developed by Charles Darwin.

explanation of the Theory of Evolution:

Definition: The Theory of Evolution explains how species change over time through a process called natural selection.
Developer: It was primarily developed by Charles Darwin in the 19th century.
Key Concept: Organisms that are better adapted to their environment tend to survive and reproduce, passing on their advantageous traits to the next generation.
Mechanism: Natural selection acts on the variation within populations, causing gradual changes that can lead to the emergence of new species.
Importance: Evolution explains the diversity of life on Earth and the relationships among different species.

5. The phrase 'Survival of the Fittest' describing the mechanism of Natural Selection coined by _____ . [S.S.C. Online Graduate Level (T-I) 11.06.2019 (Shift-III)]

(a) Marie Curie
(b) Herbert Spencer
(c) Charles Babbage
(d) Louis Pasteur

Correct Answer: (b) Herbert Spencer

Solution:The phrase "survival of the fittest" was coined by the philosopher Herbert Spencer in his 1864 work "Principles of Biology" after reading Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species." Spencer used the phrase to describe Darwin's theory of natural selection, and it later became closely associated with Darwin's work, although Darwin himself used the term more often in later editions of his book.