Question

during a trip to the galapagos islands, which observation led charles darwin to suspect that organisms change over time?
○ island finches were able to breed with mainland species.
○ island finches resembled mainland finches, but were not the same species.
○ island finches resembled extinct species from other islands around the world.
○ island finches did not have beaks of the same size and shape.

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: If island finches could breed with mainland species, it would suggest they are the same species, not supporting change over time.
• Option 2: Island finches resembling mainland finches but being different species implies a common ancestor with divergence (change over time), matching Darwin's observations about adaptive radiation and evolution.
• Option 3: Resembling extinct species from other global islands is not relevant to Darwin's Galapagos observations about change over time from a common mainland ancestor.
• Option 4: Variation in beak size/shape (though part of his work) is about adaptation within a species concept, not the key observation of species divergence from mainland forms.

Answer:

B. Island finches resembled mainland finches, but were not the same species.