The passage suggests that Darwinian theory of evolution is not a theory at all because
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) extinction is a function of environment and biological assaults
“Therefore, the so-called Darwinian theory of evolution is not a theory at all” follows directly from the Darwinian explanation that organisms go extinct “as a function of environmental or biological assaults”. That explanation, being simple and convincing, is what makes the author treat evolution as fact rather than theory.
- ✗ (a) The author criticises creationist doctrines; failing to satisfy them is not offered as the reason.
- ✓ (b) The “Therefore” rests on the preceding sentence: organisms go extinct “as a function of environmental or biological assaults for which their inheritance deems them ill-equipped”.
- ✗ (c) That no evidence has refuted Darwin’s ideas comes later, as support for the mechanism of evolution; it is not the reason attached to “not a theory at all”.
- ✗ (d) Reverses the passage — attributing organisms to a creator is the creationist view the author rejects.
Remember · For ‘why does the author say X’, read the sentence just before the ‘Therefore’ — that is the stated reason.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·