Class 7 Civics Chapter 6 Understanding Media Important Questions and Answers

CBSE Class 7 Civics Chapter 6 Understanding Media Important Questions and answers cover all the major concepts of the chapter. Solving answers of these important questions help students to revise the Chapter most competently. We prepared these questions as per the latest NCERT book and CBSE syllabus. Practising class 7 important questions before the exam will ensure excellent marks in the exam.

Understanding Media Class 7 Civics Important Questions

Very Short Answer Type Question

1. Name various forms of communication.
Answer: Radio, television, newspapers, Internet.

2. What does the word ‘media’ mean?
Answer: Radio, television, newspapers, Internet and several other forms of communication are collectively known as media.

3. Mention any one positive aspect of television.
Answer: Television has enabled us to think of ourselves as members of a larger global world.

4. Mention one way in which the mass media earns money.
Answer: The mass media earns money by advertising different things like cars, clothes, tea, etc.

5.Why are some advertisements shown repeatedly on the television screen? [V. Imp.]
Answer: Same advertisements are shown repeatedly on the television screen just to make people’s mind to go out and buy what is advertised.

6. What are the various ways through which people express their dissatisfaction to any of the government’s decision which does not go in their favour?
Answer: They do so by writing letters to the concerned minister, organising a public protest, starting a signature campaigns and asking the government to rethink its programme, etc.

7. What do you mean by a balanced report? [V. Imp.]
Answer: A balanced report is one that discusses all points of view of a particular story and then leaves it to the readers to make up their minds.

8. Why is it necessary for media to be independent?
Answer: Only then media can write a balanced report.

9. Why does media sometimes focus on a particular aspect of a story?
Answer: It is because media believes that this will make the story interesting.

10. What does media’s close relationship with business often mean?
Answer: It means that media will fail to give a balanced report.

11: Define media.
Answer: All forms of communication like radio, television, newspaper, and internet are referred as media.

12: Give examples of print media.
Answer: Newspapers and magazines

13: Give examples of mass media.
Answer: TV, radio, newspaper

14: Give examples of electronic media.
Answer: TV, radio, world wide web( internet).

15: How modernisation of media serves useful for us?
Answer: It helps media to reach more and more people

16: How people opposes against government action or plan?
Answer: By organizing a public protest, starting a signature campaign, asking the government to rethink its program etc.

17: How the cost of advertising on a news channel is decided?
Answer: It varies from Rs 500 to 8000 per 10 seconds depending on the popularity of channel.

18: What do you mean by term independent media?
Answer: It means no one should tell media what should be included and what should not be included in their news story.

19: Define the term broadcast.
Answer: Broadcast is used to refer to a TV or radio programme that is widely transmitted.

Short Answer Type Questions

1: How media and money are interrelated?

Answer: The technologies used by mass media is expensive and they keeps on changing their technologies. These advanced technologies requires lot of money. There are number of employees associated with these works that are paid, like in a news studio, it is not only news reader who needs to be paid, but lot of people are also paid who helps to put in the broadcast together. Thus most television channels and newspapers are part of big business houses.

2: Explain the role of media in democracy.

Answer: In a democracy, media plays an important role in providing :– News and in discussing events taking place in the country and in the world. Media provides information to the citizens and enables them to take action.

3: Why media is far from independent?

Answer: An independent media means that no one should control and influence its coverage of news. Media is far from independent, this is because of control of government over them. Government prevents some news items, scenes from a movie, or lyrics of songs from being shared with larger public, this is called as censorship.

4: Define censorship.

Answer: Censorship means the process by which media is controlled by the government, when any news, dialogues, lyrics or scene is prevented from being shared with the larger public.

5: Give example showing setting agendas in media.

Answer: ‘Setting of an agenda’ by the media means that the media plays an important role in shaping our thoughts. By ‘setting agendas’, the media influences the way we think and makes us aware of issues which it thinks is important. One instance of this would be the raising of awareness about the levels of pesticides in colas. Another is the Fashion week, which was at the front of headlines while several slums were being demolished in Mumbai.

6: What role does media played in awaking us about bad impacts of cola on our heath?

7: Why media is not interested in covering small issues that involve ordinary people and their daily lives?

Answer: Because these issues cannot attract lot of reader or viewer and this may affect their business. Also sometimes because of some political control over media such news are not highlighted.

8: Setting agendas by media can effect democracy. Explain how?

Long Answer Type Questions

1: Now a day media is far from independent. Explain.

An independent media means that no one should control and influence its coverage of news. Media is far from independent, this is because of control of government over them. Government prevents some news items, scenes from a movie, or lyrics of songs from being shared with larger public, this is called as censorship.

Censorship means the process by which media is controlled by the government, when any news, dialogues, lyrics or scene is prevented from being shared with the larger public.

2. How has television brought the world closer to us?

Answer: Television images travel huge distances through satellites and cables. This allows us to view news and entertainment channels from other parts of the world. We see cartoons on our television set which are mostly from Japan and the United States. We can be sitting in Delhi and can see images of Barak Obama’s oath ceremony in the United States. Thus, television has enabled us to think of ourselves as members of a larger global world.

3. Most television channels and newspapers are part of big business houses. Why? [V. Imp.]

Answer: The technologies that mass media use keep changing and so a lot of money is spent on getting the latest technology. The TV studio in which the newsreader sits has lights, cameras, sound recorders, transmission satellites etc. All of these cost a lot of money. One thing more, it is not only the newsreader who needs to be paid but also a number of other people who help put the broadcast together. Due to these costs mass media needs a great deal of money to do its various works. As a result, most television channels and newspapers are part of big business houses.

4. What do you mean by an independent media? Why is it important for the media to be independent? [V. Imp.]

Answer: An independent media means that no one should control and influence its coverage of news. No one should tell the media what can be included and what should not be included in a news story. It means that media should not be under any one’s pressure. It will be totally independent. An independent media is very important because it is on the basis of the information that the media provides that we take action as citizens. Hence, it essential that this information is reliable. It should be biased at all.

5. Write a brief note on ‘local media’.

Answer: Local media covers small Issues that involve prdinary people, and their daily lives. It is usually started by local groups. Several people use community radio to tell farmers about the prices of different crops and advise them on the use of seeds ‘ and fertilisers. Others make documentary films with fairly cheap and easily available video cameras on real life conditions faced by different poor communities and, at times, have even given the poor these video cameras to make films on their own lives.

Khabar Lahriya is also a local newspaper. It is a fortnightly that is run by eight Dalit women in Chitrakoot district in Uttar Pradesh. It is written in the local language, Bundeli. This eight page newspaper covers the Dalit issues and cases of violence against women and political corruption. This newspaper is popular among farmers, shopkeepers, panchayat members, school teachers and women who have recently become literate.

6. How can you say that media is far from freedom? Or why do most newspapers still fail to provide a balanced story? [V. Imp.]

Answer: It is said that media is often controlled by business houses. Media does what these business houses wish. At times, it is in the interest of these businesses to focus on only one side of the story. Media is in the constant need of money.

Hence, it is essential for media to get linked, it is with advertising groups. In such a situation it is difficult for media to report against people who give them advertisements. Its close links to big business houses snatches its independence. It has to do as per the wishes of these business houses, Media also tends to focus on a particular aspect of a story because they believe this makes the story interesting. One thing more, if they want to increase public support for an issue, they often do this by focusing on one side of a story. Thus,it is difficult to say that media is independent.