Charles Darwin quiz: Test your knowledge on the 'father of evolution'

Quizzes
By published

Charles Darwin is famous for proposing the theory of evolution by natural selection, but how much more do you know about the British naturalist?

Clack-and-white photograph of Charles Darwin sitting in a chair. Darwin is old and has a long white beard.
Charles Darwin was a British naturalist, biologist and geologist. (Image credit: Bettmann/Getty Images)

Charles Darwin was a 19th century British naturalist. He is best known for his theory of evolution by natural selection, which transformed the way scientists view and interpret life on Earth.

Darwin's theory, popularized in his book "On the Origin of Species," states that pressures in the environment determine which members of a species survive long enough to reproduce. The individuals of a species that are best adapted to their environment more often reproduce and pass on their genes to the next generation, spreading certain physical and behavioral traits in the population. Eventually, those traits — such as giraffes' long necks or polar bears' white fur — come to dominate and shape the evolution of the species.

More science quizzes

—Black hole quiz: How supermassive is your knowledge of the universe?

—Constellations quiz: Can you name all the animals, objects and mythological figures hiding in the night sky?

—Moon landing quiz: How quickly can you name all 12 Apollo astronauts that walked on the moon?

—Equator quiz: Can you name the 13 countries that sit on Earth's central line?

Sascha Pare
Sascha Pare
Staff writer

Sascha is a U.K.-based staff writer at Live Science. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Southampton in England and a master’s degree in science communication from Imperial College London. Her work has appeared in The Guardian and the health website Zoe. Besides writing, she enjoys playing tennis, bread-making and browsing second-hand shops for hidden gems.