There is a cricket-like insect that lives in Africa. Researchers have discovered a 100-million-year-old ancestor of that insect. The researchers hypothesize that the insect has undergone very little change since the Early Cretaceous Period.

Question

There is a cricket-like insect that lives in Africa. Researchers have discovered a 100-million-year-old ancestor of that insect. The researchers hypothesize that the insect has undergone very little change since the Early Cretaceous Period.
Which argument best supports this hypothesis?
A The organism has fossilized remains of its ancestor that were found on once connected continents.
B The present day organisms have characteristics that are similar to the ancestors.
© The fossilized organisms have a number of present day descendants.
D The environmental conditions of the Cretaceous period are the same as present day conditions.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The argument that best supports the hypothesis that the cricket-like insect has undergone very little change since the Early Cretaceous Period is:

B: The present day organisms have characteristics that are similar to the ancestors.

This statement directly supports the idea of minimal evolutionary change over time, as it indicates that the characteristics of the modern insect are closely aligned with those of its ancient ancestor, suggesting a stable lineage.