Read the following passage carefully and answer the given questions.
Theory of Evolution
The evolution of life is a gradual process through which simple organisms are transformed into complex life forms over billions of years. It involves genetic changes, adaptation to the environment, and the emergence of diversity in species. Fossil records provide evidence of extinct life forms and transitional stages. Evolution is influenced by factors such as mutation, genetic recombination, and environmental pressure, shaping the biodiversity we see today. Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace were pioneering naturalists who developed the theory of evolution by natural selection.
Alfred Russel Wallace, a naturalist, arrived at conclusions similar to Darwin while working in:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Malay archipelago
The passage names Darwin and Wallace as the pioneers of evolution by natural selection, but does not say where Wallace worked.
Option (1) Galapagos island — Incorrect. The Galapagos Islands are where Darwin saw the many kinds of finches during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle.
Option (2) Malay archipelago — Correct. Alfred Wallace worked in the Malay Archipelago and came to conclusions like Darwin’s at about the same time.
Option (3) Amazon rainforest — Incorrect. The book does not place Wallace’s work there. The great explorer of the South American jungles in the book is Humboldt, who gave the species-area relationship.
Option (4) Australian outback — Incorrect. Australia is known in the book for the adaptive radiation of marsupials, not for Wallace’s work.
NCERT Extract:
Evolution of Life Forms – a Theory – “… The fitness, according to Darwin, refers ultimately and only to reproductive fitness. Hence, those who are better fit in an environment, leave more progeny than others. These, therefore, will survive more and hence are selected by nature. He called it natural selection and implied it as a mechanism of evolution. Let us also remember that Alfred Wallace, a naturalist who worked in Malay Archipelago had also come to similar conclusions around the same time.”