Kant's name is linked with which early idea of Earth's origin?

Correct answer: Nebular Hypothesis

Direct answer: Option A, the Nebular Hypothesis. Immanuel Kant proposed an early version of the nebular idea for the origin of the solar system. The basic concept is that the Sun and planets developed from a very large, rotating cloud of gas and dust. Gravity gradually pulled material together, while rotation and collisions helped form the central Sun and surrounding planets. Option A is correct because Kant is traditionally linked with this early nebular hypothesis, later developed by Laplace. Option B, the Big Bang Theory, explains the beginning and expansion of the universe and is associated with modern cosmology, not Kant’s early solar-system idea. Option C, Plate Tectonics, explains the movement of Earth’s lithospheric plates and features such as earthquakes and mountains, not the origin of Earth. Option D, Steady State Theory, is a twentieth-century cosmological theory and is not Kant’s proposal. Exam cue: Kant and Laplace are commonly remembered with the Nebular Hypothesis.