What term describes a change by which an organism becomes better suited to its environment?

• A. Variation
• B. Adaptation
• C. Mutation
• D. Evolution

Answer: (B)

Adaptation is a change that makes an organism better suited to its environment. It refers to traits or behaviors that help an organism survive and reproduce in its surroundings, such as camouflage, specialized body parts, or feeding habits. These helpful traits usually arise from variation in a population, and those individuals with advantageous traits tend to pass them on more often. Over many generations, natural selection increases the frequency of these beneficial traits, which is the broader process of evolution.

Variation describes differences among individuals, not a single organism becoming better suited. Mutation is a genetic change that can introduce new variation, but isn’t itself the outcome. Evolution is the gradual change in populations over time, not a single organism’s immediate adjustment.