Question

charles darwin hypothesized that some individuals would be better equipped for survival than others, and that those that were less equipped would not survive. darwin formulated this hypothesis based on the work of which scholar?
○ john gould, who compared mainland and island finches
○ thomas malthus, who studied population growth
○ sir isaac newton, who formulated the laws of motion
○ gregor mendel, who determined genetic inheritance of traits

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option:

• John Gould's work on finches helped Darwin with species variation but not the survival hypothesis' basis.
• Thomas Malthus studied population growth, noting that populations grow faster than resources, leading to competition and survival of the fittest, which influenced Darwin's hypothesis.
• Isaac Newton's laws of motion are unrelated to evolution.
• Gregor Mendel's genetic work was unknown to Darwin and focused on inheritance, not survival mechanisms.

Answer:

B. Thomas Malthus, who studied population growth