Question

The theory of spontaneous generation stated that
(a)Life arose from living forms
(b)Life can arise from both living and nonliving
(c)Life can arise from nonliving things only
(d)Life arises spontaneously, neither from living nor from the non-living

Answer 1

Hint: Spontaneous generation is sometimes referred to as abiogenesis. Early Greek philosophers were known as natural philosophers (physiologoi) in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE gave the explanation for this Spontaneous generation.

Complete answer:
Anaximander was one of the first western thinkers to propose that life came from nonliving matter or more specifically that things arose from the elemental nature of the universe. According to the theory of spontaneous generation pieces of cheese and bread wrapped in rags were believed to produce mice as there were mice after a few weeks. It was believed that certain forms like maggots on decaying meat and fleas could arise from certain matters such as dust. Many believed this theory as it explained such occurrences. Other Greek philosophers like Thales, Aristotle, Xenophanes, Plato, Empedocles, etc. also believed this theory. In ancient Egypt, people believed that life processes emerged from nonliving matter on a time scale of minutes, weeks, or years like the mud of the Nile (north-flowing River in north-eastern Africa) can give rise to animals such as frogs, snakes, toads, mice, and crocodiles when under the sun. Another man Van Helmont who was born in 1577 believed that human sweat and wheat grains could give rise to organisms. The equivocal generation said something like species like tapeworms came from unrelated living organisms (now discovered as the hosts).

So, the correct answer is 'Life can arise from nonliving things only'.

Note: Later in the 18th century, it became pretty evident that higher organisms could not be produced by nonliving matter. But the origin of microorganisms like bacteria was not understood but in the 19th century, Louis Pasteur proved microorganisms reproduce. Louis Pasteur was born in 1822 and his remarkable work in germ theory led the team to create vaccines for anthrax and rabies.