Read the given passage and answer the following questions:

During post- industrialisation period, the tree trunks became dark due to industrial smoke and soots. Under this condition the white-winged moth did not survive due to predators, dark-winged or melanised moth survived. Before industrialisation set in, thick growth of almost white-coloured lichen covered the trees - in that background the white winged moth survived but the dark-coloured moth were picked out by predators. They will not grow in areas that are polluted. Hence, moths that were able to camouflage themselves, i.e., hide in the background, survived . This understanding is supported by the fact that in areas where industrialisation did not occur e.g., in rural areas, the count of melanic moths was low. This showed that in a mixed population, those that can better-adapt, survive and increase in population size. Remember that no variant is completely wiped out. Similarly, excess use of herbicides, pesticides, etc., has only resulted in selection of resistant varieties in a much lesser time scale. This is also true for microbes against which we employ antibiotics or drugs against eukaryotic organisms/cell. Hence, resistant organisms/cells are appearing in a time scale of months or years and not centuries. These are examples of evolution by anthropogenic action. This also tells us that evolution is not a directed process in the sense of determinism. It is a stochastic process based on chance events in nature and chance mutation in the organisms.

What does the term "industrial melanism" describe?

The evolutionary change in the coloration of peppered moths during the industrial revolution

The correct answer is Option (3) –The evolutionary change in coloration of peppered moths during the industrial revolution

Industrial melanism was primarily highlighted in moths, specifically the peppered moth (Biston betularia). This phenomenon refers to the evolutionary change observed in the coloration of peppered moths during the industrial revolution in Britain. As pollution increased and trees became darker due to soot, the population of darker, melanistic forms of the peppered moth increased in industrial areas, demonstrating natural selection favoring moths that were better camouflaged against darkened tree trunks. This adaptation is a classic example of natural selection and is often cited in evolutionary biology to illustrate the impact of environmental changes on species' adaptations.

Before industrialization set in, it was observed that there were more white-winged moths on trees than dark-winged but after industrialization, i.e., in 1920, there were more dark-winged moths in the same area, i.e., the proportion was reversed. During the post-industrialization period, the tree trunks became dark due to industrial smoke. Under this condition the white-winged moth did not survive due to predators, dark-winged or melanised moth survived.