Question

Assertion (A): Fossils provide direct evidence for evolution.

Reason (R): Fossils help to trace evolutionary relationships among organisms over time.

Options

• Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation for Assertion (A).

• Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true, but Reason (R) is not the correct explanation for Assertion (A).

• Assertion (A) is true, but Reason (R) is false.

• Assertion (A) is false, but Reason (R) is true.

Answer 1

Both Assertion (A) and Reason (R) are true and Reason (R) is the correct explanation for Assertion (A).

Explanation:

Fossils are physical remains or traces of past life and so constitute direct evidence of organisms that lived in the past; they record morphological changes through geological time. Fossil sequences (including transitional forms) therefore allow us to trace evolutionary relationships and show how groups changed and diverged over time, which is exactly why fossils provide direct evidence for evolution.