Class 7 Civics

Mass Media

Extra Questions

Short Answer Questions

Question 1: What do you mean by public protest?

Answer: The term public protest literally translates to ‘protest by the public at large’. In other words it is the opposition to some issue by a large number of people. It is done by organizing rallies, holding demonstrations, signature campaigns, blocking roads etc.

Question 2: Write briefly about censorship.

Answer: The government has powers to disallow media from publishing or showing certain stories. This power is called censorship. This power could be about disallowing a news item, scenes of a movie or lyrics of a song from being shared with the masses. There have been periods when the government censored the media; the worst of these being the Emergency between 1975 to 1977.

Question 3: What do you mean by setting the agenda?

Answer: Since the media plays a significant role in deciding what stories to focus on, we can say that it decides on what is newsworthy. Media, by focusing on selective issues, has an influence on our thought and resultantly our actions. Due to the significant role that media plays in influencing us (by influencing our thoughts), it is commonly said that the media ‘sets the agenda’. For example, an annual event at a school may not be covered by the media but if a famous cricketer is a Chief Guest at that function, the media will be interested in covering the event.

Question 4: Give example of cases where the media has failed to focus on issues significant for our lives.

Answer: The following are the important issues that the media has failed to focus on:

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1: What do you mean by the term ‘publish’?

Answer: Publish refers to making available newsreports, articles, interviews, etc. for the wide audience to read. This is done by printing in newspapers, magazines and books.

Question 2: Define censorship.

Answer: The government’s power to disallow media from publishing or showing certain stories is called censorship.

Question 3: What is a balanced report?

Answer: A balanced report is a report that reveals all sides of the story so that the readers are free to think about the next course of action.

Question 4: Define the term broadcast.

Answer: The term broadcast refers to a TV or radio programme that is transmitted widely.