Question

charles darwin hypothesized that some individuals would be better equipped for survival than others, and that those that were less equipped would not survive. darwin formulated this hypothesis based on the work of which scholar?
john gould, who compared mainland and island finches
thomas malthus, who studied population growth
sir isaac newton, who formulated the laws of motion
gregor mendel, who determined genetic inheritance of traits

Explanation:

Charles Darwin was influenced by Thomas Malthus' work on population growth. Malthus pointed out that populations grow faster than the resources available to support them, leading to a struggle for existence. This idea helped Darwin formulate his theory of natural - selection where individuals better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive. John Gould's work on finches was more of a source of evidence for Darwin rather than a foundational influence. Newton's laws of motion are in the realm of physics and not related to Darwin's biological hypotheses. Mendel's work on genetics was unknown to Darwin during his time of formulating the hypothesis of natural - selection.

Answer:

B. Thomas Malthus, who studied population growth