Lesson 4.6.3.1

4.6.3.1 Theory of evolution (biology only) Quiz: AQA Biology, Unit 6

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 4.6.3.1, Theory of evolution (biology only): 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Biology (8461), Unit 6: Inheritance, variation and evolution, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Who proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection, based on observations on a round-the-world expedition?

    • Gregor Mendel
    • Charles Darwin
    • Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
    • Carl Linnaeus

  2. How did Charles Darwin gather observations for his theory of evolution?

    • Round-the-world expedition
    • European overland trip
    • Transatlantic voyage
    • Arctic polar survey

  3. In which year did Charles Darwin publish his theory of evolution in On the Origin of Species?

    • 1859
    • 1809
    • 1900
    • 1882

  4. In which year was On the Origin of Species published?

    • 1809
    • 1859
    • 1900
    • 1858

  5. Which scientist proposed that acquired characteristics can be inherited by offspring?

    • Charles Darwin
    • Alfred Russel Wallace
    • Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
    • Gregor Mendel

  6. Why was Darwin's theory of evolution only accepted gradually by scientists?

    • Lack of fossils
    • Immediate church support
    • No variation observed
    • Unknown inheritance mechanism

  7. Which traditional belief was directly challenged by Darwin's theory of evolution?

    • Heliocentrism
    • Cell theory
    • Divine creation
    • Spontaneous generation

  8. Who proposed that characteristics acquired during an organism's lifetime are passed to offspring?

    • Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
    • Alfred Wallace
    • Charles Darwin
    • Gregor Mendel

  9. According to modern biology, how commonly are acquired characteristics inherited?

    • Half the time
    • Always
    • Very rarely
    • Most times

  10. What happens to a physical change acquired by an animal during its lifetime?

    • Passed to females
    • Passed to males
    • Not usually inherited
    • Always inherited

  11. Darwin's theory was linked to developing knowledge of which subjects?

    • Geology and fossils
    • Nutrition and medicine
    • Astronomy and chemistry
    • Electronics and physics

  12. In Darwin's theory, which individuals in a population are most likely to survive?

    • Oldest individuals
    • Best suited individuals
    • Largest individuals
    • Random individuals

  13. What happens to advantageous characteristics in successful individuals according to natural selection?

    • Lost immediately
    • Transformed to mutations
    • Passed to offspring
    • Skipped across generations

  14. Apart from observations on his voyage, what helped Darwin develop his theory?

    • Computer simulation models
    • Years of experimentation
    • Microscopic cell studies
    • DNA sequencing data

  15. Which evidence helped Darwin develop his theory of evolution by natural selection?

    • Fossils and geology
    • Astrology records
    • Creationism studies
    • Spontaneous generation

  16. What did Darwin observe about individual organisms within the same species?

    • Identical characteristics
    • Zero genetic difference
    • Wide phenotypic variation
    • Uniform physical traits

  17. Why did acceptance of the theory of evolution take many years to widespread agreement?

    • Darwin hid data
    • Church supported it
    • Theory was disproved
    • Evidence developed slowly

  18. Why was Jean-Baptiste Lamarck's theory of evolution rejected?

    • Extinction is impossible
    • Organisms cannot mutate
    • Genes determine inheritance
    • Fossils were missing

  19. Darwin's theory was developed over time from information gathered by whom?

    • Only one scientist
    • Government officials
    • Many scientists
    • A single monk

  20. In Darwin's theory of natural selection, which individuals are most likely to survive?

    • Most aggressive
    • Largest size
    • Oldest age
    • Best adapted

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