Question

It appears that there are basically two types of scientific innovators. The first ones are innovators in totality who conceive the idea that may have never existed before. They derive inspiration from events, incidents and traditions occurring in their surroundings or even from folk stories floating around. The other ones are the incremental innovators who work on existing objects and ideas to bring some newness therein. Development of several modern drugs from Ayurvedic texts and folklores fall in this category.

• A. Innovators in totality conceive new ideas from events and traditions such as the tradition of Ayurvedic medicine in ancient India. Incremental innovators improve existing ideas.
• B. Scientific innovation takes the form of inception and development of new ideas, and study for refining existing ideas. Applicaton of Ayurveda in modern medicine is an example of the latter.
• C. Innovators are either incremental or total innovators. Incremental innovators conceptualize new ideas while total innovators utilise events, incidents and traditions to conceive improvements.
• D. Conception on new ideas and improvements of ideas are some of the several forms of scientific innovation. The former draws on events or incidents while the latter draws on existing objects.

Answer 1

The correct option is B Scientific innovation takes the form of inception and development of new ideas, and study for refining existing ideas. Applicaton of Ayurveda in modern medicine is an example of the latter.

(a) is incorrect as application of Ayurveda to modern medicine is an example of incremental innovation.
(c) is incorrect as the last sentence states that total innovators conceive improvements whereas they conceive ideas from scratch hence there is no scope for improvements in those ideas. According to (d) there are several forms of innovation whereas the passage states that there are basically two types. Hence this is a distortion of the facts presented in the passage. (b) provides the summary of the points correctly.