Question
(a) What is meant by ‘Inheritance of Acquired Character’? Who is the propounder of that idea? (b) What is meant by ‘Survival of the fittest? (c) What do you mean by “Natural Selection? Who proposed it?
Answer
(a) The idea of ‘Inheritance of Acquired Character’ suggests that an organism can pass on the traits it acquired during its lifetime to its offspring. Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was the propounder of this idea.
(b) ‘Survival of the fittest’ refers to the idea that organisms that are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This term was coined by Herbert Spencer, although it is often associated with Charles Darwin.
(c) ‘Natural Selection’ is a process by which certain traits become more or less common in a population over time, depending on whether they increase or decrease an organism’s chances of survival and reproduction. This concept was proposed by Charles Darwin.
