Important Questions for CBSE Class 7 Social Science - Social and Political Life Chapter 6 - Understanding Media

Very Short Answer Questions (1 Mark)

1. Fill in the blanks: 

(i) ________ performs a crucial and influential role in a democracy. 

Ans: Media performs a crucial and influential role in a democracy. 

(ii) _______ is very popular with the media.

Ans: Fashion show is very popular with the media. 

(iii) The _______ that mass media uses keeps on changing.

Ans: The technology that mass media uses keeps on changing.

(iv) Mass media needs a great deal of _______ to do its work. 

Ans: Mass media needs a great deal of money to do its work. 

2. State true and false:

(i) Television programs give us a partial view of the world.

Ans: True

(ii) Media is independent.

Ans: False

(iii) Media plays a vital role in communicating government plans and work to people.

Ans: True

(iv) Television images travel a long distance through satellites and cables.

Ans: True

3. Match the following: 

Ans: 

4. Choose the correct option:

(i) The newspaper Khabar lahriya reaches

(a) Farmers

(b) School Teacher

(c) Panchayat members and shopkeepers

(d) All of the above

Ans: (d) All of the above

(ii) Information given by media should be 

(a) True 

(b) False  

(c) Balanced  

(d) All of the above

Ans: (c) Balanced

5. Define the following: 

(i) Media

Ans: Media means all forms of communication like radio, television, newspaper, and the internet.

(ii) Independent Media

Ans: It means no one should tell the media what should be included and what should not be included in their news story.

Short Answer Questions: (2 Marks)

1. Give some examples of print media.

Ans: Examples of print media are: newspapers and magazines.

2. Give some examples of electronic media.

Ans: Examples of electronic media are: TV, Radio, World Wide Web (internet).

3. How is the modernization of media useful for us?

Ans: The Modernization of media is useful to us because it helps media to reach more and more people.

4. Give some examples of local media.

Ans: Examples of local media are: Community Radio, Documentary Films, Local newspapers.

5. Define broadcast.

Ans: Broadcast is used to refer to a TV or radio program that is widely transmitted.

Short Answer Questions: (3 Marks)

1. What do you mean by a public protest? 

Ans: Public protest refers to the collection of a large number of people assembled together to oppose a certain issue related to the public interest. Signature campaigns, rallies, road blockages, etc. are some of the ways to register a public protest.

2. Define publish. 

Ans: Publish refers to news reports, articles, interviews, stories, etc., that are printed in newspapers, magazines, and books for a wide audience to read.

3. What do you mean by censorship?

Ans: Censorship refers to the powers that government has to disallow media from publishing or showing certain stories.

4. Explain the role of media in democracy.

Ans: In a democracy, media plays a vital 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 corrective action.

5. What do you mean by social advertising?

Ans: Social advertisements refer to advertisements made by the Government or private agencies that have a larger message for society.

Long Answer Questions: (5 Marks)

1. In what ways do the media play an important role in a democracy?

Ans: Media performs a crucial and influential role in a democracy. Media is a channel through which the information about the social, economic & political events and news happening throughout the country and world is delivered to people. Media keeps us in the know-how of all government works and current issues. The Media is responsible for creating awareness amongst the people. The press should do honest reporting as it also plays an integral part in forming public opinion and shaping up the human mind. Media serves as a medium of deliberation and strives to show us the truth. It reports various scams, criminal activities, frauds, accidents, etc., and also alerts people on various calamities, diseases, and weather forecasts.

2. You have read about the ways in which the media ‘sets the agenda’. What kind of effect does this have in a democracy? Provide two examples to support your point of view. 

Ans: When media “set the agenda”, it has various effects on democracy. It impacts and shapes the mind of people by influencing their thinking. It creates awareness amongst people regarding numerous important issues and events. The Media emphasizes various government-related matters so that people can take significant actions. The two examples to support my point of view are:

(1) The Delhi Commonwealth Games controversy was in the national and international limelight because of widespread media coverage. Because of media coverage, this scam was uncovered, and people came to know about it. 

(2) Media widely covered the campaign of "Swatch Bharat Abhiyan” and in turn made people aware about the importance of cleanliness and more & more people participated in it. 

3. As a class project, decide to focus on a particular news topic and cut out stories from different newspapers on this. Also, watch the coverage of this topic on TV news. Compare two newspapers and write down the similarity and differences in their reports. It might help to ask the following questions– 

a. What information is this article providing? 

b. What information is it leaving out? 

c. From whose point of view is the article being written? 

d. Whose point of view is being left out and why? 

Ans: The interpretation and response may vary depending on the student’s perspective and liking. Students should select newspaper articles that interest them. Students can take two or more newspapers and watch the same news on television to understand the story better. They should write down all the similarities and differences in all the reports on the same topic. This activity will help in giving answers to the questions provided above. You will be able to understand the agenda of the media house, whether the truth is being reported or the news has some bias. You will get to know about the point of view from which the news article is written and if it is covering all aspects or just focusing on one issue. 

4. How has the concept of local media emerged?

Ans: The media is not always able to cover ‘small’ local issues related to ordinary people and their daily lives. This has led to the emergence of the concept of local media. Various local groups have come forward and started their own media. For example, Community radio is being used to make the farmers aware of the current prices of different crops. The farmers are advised about the optimum use of seeds and fertilizers through the local media. Some local groups create documentary films with video cameras highlighting the plight and the real-life issues faced by poor communities around us.

5. What does TV do to us and what can we do with TV? 

Ans: In many of our homes, TV is on a lot of the time. In many ways, a lot of our impressions about the world around us are formed by what we see on TV: it is like a „window on the world‟. It gives us a partial view of the world. While we enjoy our favourite programs, we should always be aware of the large exciting world beyond our TV screens. There is so much happening out there that TV ignores. We need to be active viewers, who question whatever we see and hear, while we may enjoy it too!

Why are Important Questions for Class 7 Social Science Chapter 6 - Understanding Media necessary?

• Focus on key topics for efficient studying.

• Prepares students for exams and reduces anxiety.

• Reinforces understanding of fundamental concepts.

• Teaches effective time management.

• Enables self-assessment and progress tracking.

• Strategic approach for higher scores.

• Covers a wide range of topics for comprehensive understanding.

• Supports exam preparation and boosts confidence.

Conclusion

Understanding Media is an integral part of Class 7 Social and plays a crucial role from an examination perspective. The important questions for Class 7 Social, as discussed by NCERT, cover a wide range of topics within the subject. They also provide a concise guide to critical points and details related to the topic.

A solid understanding of each section of Class 7 Social is fundamental as it forms the basis for higher-level studies. However, this section primarily focuses on important questions within the context of Class 7 Social.