Quizzes

Question 1

Which of these had the least influence on Darwin’s work and writing?
1. Knowledge of inheritance, as discovered by Gregor Mendel.
2. The idea that the world is continually changing (uniformitarianism) as described by Charles Lyell.
3. The writings of Thomas Malthus on human populations and resources.
4. Correspondence with Alfred Russel Wallace and other naturalists of his time.
5. His work as a naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle.

Answer 1

1. Knowledge of inheritance, as discovered by Gregor Mendel.

Question 1

In Principles of Geology (1830), Charles Lyell wrote

“We know that during one earthquake the coast of Chile may be raised for a hundred miles to the average height of about three feet. A repetition of two thousand shocks, of equal violence, might produce a mountain-chain one hundred miles long, and six thousand feet high.”

This example illustrates which principle:

1. Acquired characters - The idea that the earth mostly stays constant, but occasional changes occur.
2. Acquired characters - The idea that the earth changes by the cumulative effects of such things as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
3. Uniformitarianism - The idea that the earth does not change and is uniform.
4. Uniformitarianism - The idea that the earth is continuously changing according to processes visible today.

Answer 1

4. Uniformitarianism - The idea that the earth is continuously changing according to processes visible today.