The theory of survival of the fittest was propounded by …..

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks who propounded the theory of "survival of the fittest". This is a question on the theory of evolution.

Step 2: Explain the concept "Survival of the fittest" is the central idea of natural selection. Organisms in a population show variation. Those with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive, reproduce, and pass those traits to their offspring. Over many generations, the population changes, which is evolution.

This idea was presented by Charles Darwin in his book On the Origin of Species (1859). The phrase itself was coined by Herbert Spencer, but Darwin adopted it and made the idea famous.

Step 3: Check each option

• A. Darwin: Correct. He proposed natural selection, or survival of the fittest.
• B. Hooke: Robert Hooke discovered cells in 1665 while looking at cork under a microscope.
• C. Lamarck: Jean-Baptiste Lamarck proposed the theory of use and disuse and the inheritance of acquired characteristics (for example, the giraffe stretching its neck). This is a different theory.
• D. Linnaeus: Carl Linnaeus developed the binomial system of naming and classifying organisms.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is A. Darwin.

Exam tip: Match each scientist with one key idea:

• Darwin: natural selection (survival of the fittest)
• Lamarck: use and disuse, inheritance of acquired characteristics
• Hooke: cells
• Linnaeus: classification and binomial nomenclature

JAMB often tests Darwin against Lamarck, so remember that Darwin = Descent with modification through natural selection.