LAQ : (a) What do you mean by Natural Selection? (b) What are the demerits of Darwin’s theory?

Question 16

(a) What do you mean by Natural Selection? (b) What are the demerits of Darwin’s theory?

Answer

(a) Natural selection is a process by which certain individuals within a species are better adapted to their environment and have a higher chance of survival and reproduction, leading to the gradual evolution of the species over time.

(b) Some of the demerits of Darwin’s theory include:

1. Lack of understanding of the mechanisms of inheritance – Darwin did not know about genetics and how traits are inherited, so he couldn’t explain how variation arises in the first place.
2. Incomplete fossil record – Darwin’s theory relied heavily on the fossil record to support the idea of evolution, but the fossil record was incomplete at the time and many important transitional forms were missing.
3. Limited knowledge of geology – Darwin did not have a full understanding of geological processes and the age of the Earth, which made it difficult to explain the slow, gradual changes required for evolution.
4. Lack of explanation for the origin of life – Darwin’s theory only explained how existing species evolve over time, but did not address the origin of life itself.