Which statement best describes the difference between taming and domestication?

• A. A wild animal might be tamed over its lifetime; domestication happens over generations via selection
• B. Taming refers to crossbreeding over generations; domestication is individual training
• C. Taming only occurs in captivity; domestication occurs in the wild
• D. Taming increases flight response; domestication reduces it

Answer: (A)

Tamings and domestication describe two distinct processes: taming is behavioral modification of an individual through training and handling, while domestication is a genetic change in a population over many generations driven by selective breeding. A wild animal can be tamed over its lifetime by repeated positive interactions with humans, reducing fear and shaping manageable behaviors in that single animal. Domestication, on the other hand, requires generations of selection for traits that tolerate or prefer human presence, leading to a lineage that is inherently adapted to living with people.

This distinction is why the statement is the best choice: it cleanly separates an individual’s learned behaviors from a population’s inherited traits. The other ideas mix up what taming involves, mislocate where it happens, or focus on a trait like flight response rather than the fundamental difference between training an individual and genetic changes across generations.