According to Finlay & Darlington (1995) humans have larger brains than apes because:

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Question restatement: According to Finlay & Darlington (1995), humans have larger brains than apes because:

Option A: 'Of their larger body size' While larger body size can correlate with absolute brain size, brain size relative to body (encephalization) is not simply explained by bigger bodies. The question highlights a specific explanation from Finlay & Darlington about developmental timing, not merely size correlations. This makes A insufficient as a complete justification.

Option B: 'They eat more meat than chimpanzees and gorillas' Dietary differences can influence brain evolution in various debates, but Finlay & Darlington emphasize developmental duration rather than diet as the key driver. Therefore, B misattributes the primary mechanism described in the referenced work.

Option C: 'Of the slow rate of body development that characterises all great apes' This option discusses slow body development in great apes, but it points to differences within apes rather than the unique prolongation of brain growth in humans. Finlay & Darlington focus on extended brain growth period, not just a general slow somatic development, so C does not capture the proposed reasoning.

Option D: 'Human brains grow for a longer period of time' This statement aligns with Finlay & Darlington’s idea that Prolonged postnatal brain growth and extended developmental period contribute to larger brain size in humans relative to apes. The core concept is that an extended growth window allows for more neuron formation, wiring, and cognitive-capacity expansion, which explains the larger brain.

Putting it together, the central idea in the source is that the extended developmental period in humans leads to a larger brain, rather than merely larger body size, diet differences, or general slow somatic development. Thus, D correctly reflects the argument presented by Finlay & Darlington, while A, B, and C do not accurately capture the specified mechanism.

According to Finlay & Darlington (1995) humans have larger brains than apes because:

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