Change in a kind of organism over time; the process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms is called

• A. Evolution
• B. Adaptation
• C. Artificial selection
• D. Photosynthesis

Answer: (A)

Evolution is the change in heritable traits of a population over generations, leading to organisms that are different from their ancestors. This happens because genetic variation exists in populations, arising from mutations and recombination; natural selection then increases the frequency of traits that help survival and reproduction in a given environment. Over long time scales, these small shifts accumulate and populations can split, producing new species and revealing descent with modification from common ancestors. Remember, evolution is about populations and long-term change, not a single organism changing in its lifetime. It’s different from adaptation (a beneficial trait), artificial selection (human-directed change), or photosynthesis (a biochemical process).