XAT 2015 — VARC Question 27
Analyse the passage given and provide an appropriate answer for the questions that follow.
Creative thinking can be used by management teams to produce actions that will potentially increase innovation and identify opportunities. Brainstorming is one technique that can enhance creativity. Brainstorming is usually regarded as a method to be used with groups of people. Although, it can be employed with individuals, the benefit of involving a group is that one person’s idea can help to stimulate even more ideas by other group members.
Underlying brainstorm is the idea that people’s creativity is restricted because they tend to reject ideas at too early a stage. This can be because they may be imposing imaginary constraints on a problem or making false assumptions. Alternatively, they may be unable to see a problem from multiple perspectives or they may be stereotyping problems and possible solutions and hence failing to see their wider potential. Involvement of people with different perspectives enriches the idea generation.
Pick the option that best captures the relationship between the two paragraphs above.
Answer & solution
- A
The first paragraph describes a technique and the second is an example that supports it.
- B
The first paragraph describes a process and the second paragraph contradicts the descriptions.
- C
The first paragraph describes a technique. The first part of the second paragraph contradicts it and the second part of the second paragraph makes untested claims.
- D
In the first paragraph, the author conveys the understanding of a subject and in the second paragraph the author complements the first.
In the first paragraph the author describes a technique and in the second paragraph the author provides explanation of its advantages.
The first paragraph of the passage talks about creative thinking and the process of brainstorming in a group of people. The second paragraph describes the problems that individuals generally face in idea generation and explains how these problems are circumvented whilst brainstorming as a group. It basically elaborates on the reasons why brainstorming in a group works so well and gives its advantages. This is best put forth in option 5.
The second paragraph gives no examples of brainstorming. Eliminate option 1.
The second paragraph in no way gives a contradictory view to the one presented in the first paragraph. Eliminate options 2 and 3.
The second paragraph does not give a complementary view to the first paragraph – it explains its advantages. Eliminate option 4.
Hence, the correct answer is option 5.