AQA · Biology · 8461
GCSE Biology: Theory of evolution
Inheritance, variation and evolution · AQA GCSE Biology (8461), specification point 4.6.3.1. Cards are generated from the exam board's own specification for "Theory of evolution", and every card links back to the page it came from. Separate science only. Specification © AQA — used with attribution.
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Who proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection?
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Charles Darwin, following observations made on a round-the-world expedition backed by years of experimentation.
In which book did Darwin publish his theory of natural selection?
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On the Origin of Species.
Darwin published On the Origin of Species in ?.
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1859
What is the first step of natural selection within a species?
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Individuals within a species show a wide range of variation for a characteristic.
Which individuals are most likely to survive and breed under natural selection?
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Those with characteristics most suited to their environment.
What happens to the characteristics of individuals that survive under natural selection?
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They are passed on to the next generation.
Why did Darwin's theory clash with religious belief in the 1800s?
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It challenged the idea that God made all the animals and plants on Earth.
Why did many scientists reject Darwin's theory when it was first published?
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There was insufficient evidence at the time to convince them.
The mechanism of inheritance and variation was not known until ? years after Darwin's theory was published.
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50
What was the central idea of Lamarck's theory of evolution?
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Changes that occur in an organism during its lifetime can be inherited by its offspring.
Why is Lamarck's theory of inheritance now rejected?
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We now know that in the vast majority of cases, changes acquired during an organism's lifetime cannot be inherited.
Which developing fields of knowledge supported Darwin's theory of evolution?
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Geology and fossils.
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