1. hedonist
   naturalist
2. moralist

Darwin was an English naturalist whose life work propelled concepts of evolutionary biology. His ideas had a major impact on huge swaths of human culture and society.

1. circus clown
   plumber
2. doctor

Darwin planned to follow in his father's footsteps and become a doctor. But he couldn't handle blood and gore … so he gave up on that particular career goal.

1. species of life
   monkeys
2. snails

At first, the concept was shocking, particularly in times when religious concepts ruled the world. Darwin proposed that all species of life evolved from common ancestors.

1. "On the Origin of Species"
   "On the Road"
2. "Over My Dead Body"

In 1859, Darwin published "On the Origin of Species," which established many revolutionary ideas regarding how modern species came to be. His book almost immediately caused debate all over the world.

1. He thought his own ideas were kind of dumb.
   He didn't want to upset his mom.
2. He feared religious backlash.

Darwin held off on publishing his iconic book. Why? He knew religious people would cause an uproar … and he wanted no part of a public kerfuffle.

1. a five-year sea journey
   a mountaineering expedition
2. a church-burning crusade

In 1831, Darwin set off in a ship that sailed to many places around the world. He made careful observations of animals everywhere he traveled.

1. The Embalmer
   HMS Beagle
2. Apollo 13

Darwin set sail on the HMS Beagle, a 90-foot ship that sailed into biology history. The ship carried the scientist across the Atlantic Ocean and into some incredibly wild areas.

1. on land
   on sea
2. equal time on land and sea

He spent almost all of his time on land -- just a year and a half of that five years was used for travel on the HMS Beagle.

1. English
   theology
2. law

Darwin, the mastermind of the theory of evolution, attended school hellbent on studying theology. But his life experiences began to shake his faith … and he gravitated toward the sciences instead.

1. All animals were doomed.
   Successful animals were picked by warlocks.
2. Animals either evolved ... or they died off.

Natural selection specifies that all species must adapt to their circumstances … or they'll go extinct. This process is now embraced as fact by many world scientists.

1. true
2. false

Darwin is portrayed as anti-God, but he wasn’t. Raised as a Christian, he began to lose his faith in organized religion as his scientific views gained momentum.

1. He had two slaves of his own.
   He had no opinion.
2. He hated slavery.

Darwin, who was born on the same date as Abraham Lincoln, despised slavery. And the horrors of slavery made him doubt whether there was a God.

1. collecting specimens
   socializing with natives
2. viewing cells under a microscope

The young scientist was no expert biologist. So he collected many, many specimens and packed them away so that true experts could have a look at them.

1. Cuba
   Galápagos Islands
2. Hawaiian Islands

Hundreds of miles from the coast of Ecuador lie the Galápagos Islands. It was here that Darwin made some of the observations that led to his ideas on natural selection.

1. Happy Meals
   Glutton
2. Snapping Turtle

Darwin loved to feast on animals not usually harvested for human meals, and he led the Glutton Club, which brought together other adventurous palates. He was reportedly revolted by owl flesh.

1. support from donors
   sold exotic animals
2. thievery

Upon returning from his long voyage, Darwin's reputation grew by leaps and bounds. His father arranged for donors to fund the young Darwin's scientific inquiries.

1. geology
   mathematics
2. philosophy

The young man was schooled in geology, and he joined the expedition in large part to study this subject. But even though he lacked biology training, his scientific mind helped him catalog many specimens and develop new theories.

1. true
2. false

False. It was acutally a philosopher named Herbert Spencer who coined the phrase, "survival of the fittest." But he did use Darwin's concepts as inspiration for the now-famous quote.

1. messy divorce
   poor health
2. heroin addiction

The famous scientist suffered from bevy of health problems later in life. Some historians suspect that he picked up a chronic illness during his five-year journey of discovery.

1. 22
   34
2. 45

Darwin was just 22 years old when started his around-the-world adventure. Before he turned 30, he was a well-respected scientist.

1. "anarchists"
   "untamed"
2. "Republicans"

Darwin's encounters with the "untamed" natives on Tierra del Fuego left him puzzled at the differences between these people and those who lived in modern cities. He regarded the gulf between them as deeper than those between animals and humans.

1. He put them in plastic bags.
   He ate them.
2. He hired experts to analyze them.

Upon his return, Darwin hired experts throughout the land to analyze and catalog his specimens. Then he began publishing his findings.

1. a celebrity singer
   George Washington's granddaughter
2. his first cousin

It was a pairing at odds with later discoveries regarding genetics. Darwin married his first cousin, Emma, and they were married for more than 40 years.

1. She was very religious.
   She despised animals.
2. She hated science.

Emma was a religious woman, part of the Unitarian church. She feared that her husband was going to Hell for his scientific theories, which seemed contrary to the Bible's teachings.

1. They were all distinct finches.
   They were all actually whales.
2. They had no chance of survival because they were ugly.

Darwin thought his birds were so different that they were totally different animals. But his experts unveiled the fact that they were all a type of finch … but they'd evolved differently depending on their location, giving credence to Darwin's ideas of evolution.

1. extreme shock and rage
   mostly agreement
2. universal acceptance

Darwin was pleasantly surprised by the general acceptance that his theory of evolution received during his lifetime. His ideas on natural selection, though, found a less receptive audience.

1. in George Washington's backyard
   in Westminster Abbey
2. in an unmarked grave

After he died in 1882, Darwin's supporters created a public campaign to have his body buried in Westminster Abbey. They were successful, and the scientist was buried there with honor.

1. transmutation
   teleportation
2. transference

The young Darwin pinned many of his scientific dreams on the concept of "transmutation," the idea that animal species change over time. Nowadays, we call it evolution.

1. "Darwinism"
   "Charleyisms"
2. "Chuck Think"

Darwin's theories caught on. His ideas regarding natural selection and evolution are simply called "Darwinism." People who die in really stupid ways are often given the "Darwin Award."

1. eaten by wild animals
   heart failure
2. lit a firecracker stuck in his nose

Darwin died from heart failure. Scientists speculate that he was infected with Chagas disease through an insect bite during his journey to Argentina, and the immense stress in his life also took a toll. He lived to age 73.