Question
Darwin’s Mockingbirds
Many people associate Darwin’s theory of natural selection with the finches of the Galapagos Islands. The finches certainly had a marked influence on Darwin’s thought process, but Darwin noticed the variations of another Galapagos bird first—the mockingbird.
By the time Darwin arrived in Galapagos, he had already been to South America, where he observed that the mockingbirds were similar across regions. The Galapagos mockingbirds, on the other hand, differed from one island to the next, which struck Darwin as remarkable.
Today, thanks to Darwin, we know that factors such as mutations in the mockingbirds led to helpful variations, which were then passed to offspring through heredity. But at the time of his journey, Darwin was still years away from this conclusion. Still, his notes on the mockingbirds, written as his ship sailed away from Galapagos, reveal his awareness of the potential for his observations to have extraordinary implications. “‘If there is the slightest foundation for these remarks,” Darwin wrote, “the zoology of Archipelagoes will be well worth examining, for such facts would undermine the stability of species."
What is the main idea of the passage?
A
Mutations in mockingbirds lead to helpful variations, which are then passed down through heredity.
B
It took years of study and reflection for Darwin to formulate his theory of natural selection.
C
Darwin’s observations of the Galapagos mockingbirds informed his theory of natural selection.
D
Unlike the mockingbirds of South America, the Galapagos mockingbirds differed from each other in remarkable ways.
Many people associate Darwin’s theory of natural selection with the finches of the Galapagos Islands. The finches certainly had a marked influence on Darwin’s thought process, but Darwin noticed the variations of another Galapagos bird first—the mockingbird.
By the time Darwin arrived in Galapagos, he had already been to South America, where he observed that the mockingbirds were similar across regions. The Galapagos mockingbirds, on the other hand, differed from one island to the next, which struck Darwin as remarkable.
Today, thanks to Darwin, we know that factors such as mutations in the mockingbirds led to helpful variations, which were then passed to offspring through heredity. But at the time of his journey, Darwin was still years away from this conclusion. Still, his notes on the mockingbirds, written as his ship sailed away from Galapagos, reveal his awareness of the potential for his observations to have extraordinary implications. “‘If there is the slightest foundation for these remarks,” Darwin wrote, “the zoology of Archipelagoes will be well worth examining, for such facts would undermine the stability of species."
What is the main idea of the passage?
A
Mutations in mockingbirds lead to helpful variations, which are then passed down through heredity.
B
It took years of study and reflection for Darwin to formulate his theory of natural selection.
C
Darwin’s observations of the Galapagos mockingbirds informed his theory of natural selection.
D
Unlike the mockingbirds of South America, the Galapagos mockingbirds differed from each other in remarkable ways.
Answers
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Answered by
GPT-4o mini
The main idea of the passage is best captured by option C: "Darwin’s observations of the Galapagos mockingbirds informed his theory of natural selection." This option encompasses the significance of Darwin's observations and their impact on his thinking about evolution and species variation.
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