A common ancestor is an organism that is the What?
A.
indirect ancestor of one organism.
B.
direct ancestor of two or more different organisms.
C.
indirect ancestor of two or more different organisms.
D.
direct ancestor of one organism.
B. direct ancestor of two or more different organisms.
To determine the correct answer, let's look at the options and understand what they mean:
A. An indirect ancestor means an organism that is not an immediate parent or offspring but is related further back in the ancestral lineage.
B. A direct ancestor means an organism that is an immediate parent of two or more different organisms. This means that it is directly responsible for the creation of those organisms.
C. An indirect ancestor of two or more different organisms means an organism that is related further back in the ancestral lineage but has multiple descendants.
D. A direct ancestor of one organism means an organism that is an immediate parent of a single organism.
Based on these definitions, the correct answer is:
C. An indirect ancestor of two or more different organisms.
To determine this, we need to look for an organism that is related to multiple organisms but not directly responsible for the creation of each individual. This suggests a common ancestor that diverged into different lineages.
Therefore, a common ancestor is an organism that is the indirect ancestor of two or more different organisms.