Darwin's natural selection posits what process that produces better-suited individuals?

• A. Natural selection
• B. Lamarckian inheritance
• C. Creationism
• D. Random mutation alone

Answer: (A)

Natural selection is the mechanism by which differences in heritable traits lead some individuals to survive and reproduce more than others. Those with advantageous traits leave more offspring, so over generations the population becomes better adapted to its environment. Lamarckian inheritance isn’t supported because it suggests traits acquired during a lifetime can be inherited. Creationism invokes a supernatural origin rather than a natural process. Random mutation introduces variation, but without selection those mutations don’t systematically produce better-suited individuals; selection favors the advantageous traits and increases their frequency.