Two factors weigh heavily against the effectiveness of scientific research in industry. One is the general atmosphere of secrecy in which it is carried out, the other the 1 of freedom of the individual research worker. In so far as any inquiry is a secret one, it naturally limits all those 2 in carrying it out from effective 3 with their fellow scientists either in other countries or in universities, or even, often enough, in other departments of the same firm. The degree of secrecy naturally varies 4 . Some of the bigger firms take part in researches which are of such general and fundamental nature that it is a 5 advantage to them not to keep them secret.
Yet a great many processes depending on such research are sought for with complete secrecy until the stage at which patents can be taken out. Even more processes are never patented at all but kept as secret processes. This 6 particularly to chemical industries, where chance discoveries play a much larger part than they do in 7 and mechanical industries. Sometimes the secrecy goes to such an extent that the whole nature of the research cannot be mentioned. Many firms, for instance, have great 8 in obtaining technical or scientific books from libraries because they are 9 to have their names entered as having taken out such and such a book, for fear the agents of other firms should be able to 10 the kind of research they are likely to be undertaking.
A. increasingly
B. positive
C. trace
D. lack
E. efficient
F. engaged
G. elementary
H. survey
I. difficulty
J. physical
K. contact
L. unwilling
M. applies
N. considerably
O. undertaken