Directions: Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by choosing the correct/most appropriate options:

Mankind has been shaped by various ancient civilizations, examples being Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek, Chinese, and the Indus Valley. These civilizations have evolved since the time humans first decided to give up their nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle in favor of settling down in one place. It has been a long journey of many thousands of years until we became members of what is called the modern civilization, with its common features and aspirations across the globe. The key feature of this journey has been the accumulation of bounteous knowledge and the pursuit of higher standards of living, propelled by rapid strides in the fields of science and technology.

So much so, a human being has now to be called a ‘technological animal’, ever looking for new tools that further his growing ambitions. This relentless quest for a better living has thrown up some serious issues about the values, the purpose, the relevance, and the consequences of a blindfolded pursuit and application of science and technology. Who is the master? Science or the people? Agenda-setting is the key issue.

This is the birth centenary year of Dr. Y. Nayudamma, Padma Shri recipient, noted scientist, former Director of the Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, and former Director-General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. His work, contributions, and philosophy threw distinct light on various issues concerning science and technology. He had outlined a clear set of goals and objectives and the values that should guide their progress.

The main issues are: whether science and technology should adapt to the people or people should adapt to them; whether they should emerge from the felt needs and concerns of the people or should be driven from the top; what the values are that should guide and govern the pursuit of science and technology and their applications; how to contain and handle the undesirable consequences of an indiscriminate application of these powerful tools, and whose interests these tools should be serving.

Dr. Nayudamma’s work and contributions held a mirror to these concerns and demonstrated how scientists and technologists could (and can) be effective agents of such change. Science pursued in an ivory tower may not by itself serve humanity. It should be taken to the people in the form of effective technological tools that every person could use to solve their problems. Science should be for society and technology should be driven by the needs of the people.