MCQ Detailed View

Darwinism refers to the theory of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin in his book On the Origin of Species (1859). It explains how new species arise and adapt over time through the process of natural selection. The theory has several main principles:

1. 
   

   Overproduction: Organisms produce more offspring than can survive, leading to competition for resources.

   
   


2. 
   

   Variation: Individuals in a population show natural differences in traits like size, color, or behavior.

   
   


3. 
   

   Competition for survival: Limited resources cause a struggle among individuals, where only the best-adapted survive.

   
   


4. 
   

   Natural selection (Survival of the fittest): Individuals with advantageous traits survive, reproduce, and pass on these traits to the next generation.

   
   

However, Darwinism does not include "inheritance of acquired characters". This idea was proposed by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck, an earlier scientist, who believed that traits acquired during an organism's life (like a giraffe stretching its neck) could be passed to offspring. Darwin disagreed with this concept. According to modern genetics, traits are passed through genes, not through characteristics acquired during an organism’s lifetime.

Other options explained:

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  Overproduction (Option A): A key part of Darwinism, leading to competition.

  
  


• 
  

  Natural selection (Option B): The central mechanism of Darwin’s theory.

  
  


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  Competition for survival (Option D): A natural outcome of limited resources.

  
  


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  None of these (Option E): Incorrect because option C is indeed not part of Darwinism.

  
  

The correct answer is Option C: Inheritance for acquired characters, because this concept belongs to Lamarckism, not Darwin’s theory of evolution based on natural selection.