CUETMOCK
  • Pricing
  • Mentors
Log inStart freeStart free mocks→

First test, then trust

Try a free CUET mock test.

Join 5,00,000+ students who rehearsed exam day on the exact NTA screen before sitting CUET. On the web and on Android.

Start free mocks →Get the Android app
CUETMOCK

India's #1 CUET Mock Test Platform. Original NCERT-based questions on the exact NTA exam screen — trusted by 5,00,000+ students since CUET 2022.

Get it onGoogle PlayScan to download the CUETMOCK app

Mock tests

  • CUET mock test series
  • Commerce mocks
  • Humanities (Arts) mocks
  • Science mocks
  • Languages & GAT mocks
  • Free practice questions
  • Pricing

Resources

  • CUET exam guide
  • CUET syllabus
  • Universities accepting CUET
  • Expert blogs
  • News & notifications
  • Webinars & counselling
  • CUET score calculator
  • How we estimate your rank
  • FAQs

Company

  • About us
  • Our leadership & team
  • Our toppers
  • Mentors
  • For schools
  • Contact us
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Refund policy

Talk to us

+91 7696 6630 56info@cuetmock.comWhatsApp us

Our other platforms

  • JEE Mock — For IIT-JEE aspirants
  • NEET Mock — For NEET aspirants

Newsletter

Exam updates, study material and offers — no spam.

© 2026 NYC Ventures Pvt. Ltd.

701-702, Royal Business Park, Zirakpur, Punjab - 140603

  • Terms of use
  • Privacy policy
  • Refund policy
  • Contact us

iCUETMOCK is an independent preparation platform, not affiliated with the National Testing Agency (NTA). Always check exam details on the official NTA website.

  • Home
  • Mock tests
  • CUET guide
  • Pricing
  • Log in
Home/Practice questions/Biology
BiologyEvolution

In England, after industrialisation, dark-winged (melanised) moths ou…

In England, after industrialisation, dark-winged (melanised) moths outnumbered white-winged moths. Which of the following explains this?

Answer & explanation+

Correct answer: option 2

The correct answer is Option (2) → Tree trunks darkened by smoke and soot hid the dark-winged moths, and predators picked out the white-winged moths

This is the book’s example of natural selection from England. Moths rest on tree trunks, and birds (predators) catch those that stand out against the bark. Moths that match the background are camouflaged and survive to breed. Before industrialisation, the trunks were covered with white lichen; after it, smoke and soot made them dark.

Option (1) Industrial smoke caused mutations that made the white-winged moths dark — Incorrect. Smoke did not cause mutations. Both white-winged and dark-winged moths were already present in the population; the change was in their numbers, decided by which form predators picked out.

Option (2) Tree trunks darkened by smoke and soot hid the dark-winged moths, and predators picked out the white-winged moths — Correct. On dark, soot-covered trunks, the dark-winged moths were hidden, while the white-winged moths were easily seen and eaten by predators. So more dark-winged moths survived and bred.

Option (3) Lichens grew more on tree trunks in polluted areas and hid the dark-winged moths — Incorrect. Lichens do not grow in polluted areas; they are used as indicators of industrial pollution. In industrial areas the lichens disappeared, which left the trunks dark.

Option (4) White-winged moths migrated from industrial areas to rural areas — Incorrect. The change was in survival in the same area, not migration. In rural areas, where there was no industrialisation, the count of melanic (dark) moths stayed low.

NCERT Extract:
What Are the Evidences for Evolution? – “… In a collection of moths made in 1850s, i.e., before industrialisation set in, it was observed that there were more white-winged moths on trees than dark-winged or melanised moths. However, in the collection carried out from the same area, but after industrialisation, i.e., in 1920, there were more dark-winged moths in the same area, i.e., the proportion was reversed.”
What Are the Evidences for Evolution? – “The explanation put forth for this observation was that ‘predators will spot a moth against a contrasting background’. During postindustrialisation 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.”

Advertisement

Practise more on Evolution

Chapter-wise mocks on the real NTA exam screen, with solutions and your rank. Your first mocks are free.

Start free mocks →

Advertisement

Next questions

  1. Which of the following options correctly describes the embryo sac in flowering plants?Biology · Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants
  2. If the radius of the sphere having charge q at its centre is doubled, the electric flux through its surface becomesPhysics · Electric Charges and Fields
  3. If AB=A and BA=B , where A and B are square matrices of same order, thenApplied Maths. Section A · Matrices (Section A)
  4. If x men working x hours a day for x days produce x units of work, how many units of work will y men working y hours a day for y days produ…General Aptitude Test · Numerical Ability
  5. The probability that it rains in a town on a Monday is 0.4. If it rains on Monday, the probability that it also rains on Tuesday is 0.7; if…Applied Maths. Section A · Probability
  6. If A = […] and B = […] , then (AB)' is equal toApplied Maths. Section B2 · Algebra
  7. When Tanvi looks for travel accounts written by women of this period, what is she most likely to find?History · Medieval India: Through the Eyes of Travellers
  8. Read the following statements about microbes in household products: A. During growth in milk, lactic acid bacteria produce acids that coagu…Biology · Microbes in Human Welfare
  9. Choose the most appropriate option to fill in the blank in the given sentence:The principal started Saturday yoga classes ______ the parent…English · Grammar: Preposition
  10. Who is the creator of the artwork “Doodle”?Fine Arts · The Modern Indian Art