Social Science · Civics Polity

Media and Public Opinion

4,074 Questions

The media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion, political socialization, and social awareness. Topics include media accountability, the impact of social media on politics, and communication strategies. These concepts frequently appear in the general awareness and descriptive papers of competitive exams.

Media accountabilityPolitical socializationSocial media impactCommunication strategiesPublic opinion formation

Media and Public Opinion Questions

Multiple choice

Mass media takes into consideration.

  1. age

  2. caste

  3. sex

  4. learner
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

In the context of educational mass media, the primary focus is on the learner. Content is designed to be accessible and effective for the target audience's learning needs.

Multiple choice

24-hour news channels provide round the clock news and news analysis, apart from sprinkling of entertainment. They have been doing roaring business and the number of channels has mushroomed. An increasing trend has recently been noticed where people switch on the news channels only to watch the headline news, after which they quickly change to entertainment or sports channels. The TRPs of these channels have not taken a nosedive, not yet in any case.

Which of the following, if true, could best resolve the conflict of the argument?

  1. The TRP's will come down subsequently.

  2. Almost all TV homes visit news channels one time or the other.

  3. The increasing competition among news channels is eating into their profits.

  4. Lucrative advertisements are placed close to the timings of transmission of headlines.

  5. The TRP's do not reflect the revenue earning of the channels.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

In spite of people switching channels after hearing headline news, people keep tuning into news channels. This ensures regular and heavy viewer ship.

Multiple choice

Which one of the following statements most appropriately describe public opinion?

  1. Opinion of people for the common good.

  2. Opinion of public leaders for the good of the community.

  3. Opinion of a significant number of people for the general good.

  4. Opinion which is always acceptable on the basis of general good.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Public opinion is generally understood as the collective views of the public on matters of common interest or the common good. It represents a consensus or majority view aimed at societal benefit.

Multiple choice

Which of the following, if true, could best resolve the conflict of the argument?

Directions: Answer the question based on the following passage.

24-hour news channels provide round the clock news and news analysis, apart from sprinkling of entertainment. They have been doing roaring business and the number of channels has mushroomed. An increasing trend has recently been noticed where people switch on the news channels only to watch the headline news, after which they quickly change to entertainment or sports channels. The TRPs of these channels have not taken a nosedive, not yet in any case.

  1. The TRPs will come down subsequently.

  2. Almost all TV homes visit news channels one time or the other.

  3. The increasing competition among news channels is eating into their profits.

  4. Lucrative advertisements are placed close to the timings of transmission of headlines.

  5. The TRPs do not reflect the revenue earning of the channels.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

(1) Incorrect. Future cannot be predicted to be bleak when present is so healthy. Moreover, this only confirms the argument that the TRPs haven't taken a nosedive as of now. (2) Correct. In spite of people switching channels after hearing headline news, people keep tuning into news channels. This ensures regular and heavy viewership. (3) Incorrect. The argument is about the TRPs, not about profits. 'Eating into profits' may still mean handsome profits. (4) Incorrect. This only confirms the conclusion that the TRPs haven't taken a nosedive as of now. (5) Incorrect. The argument is about the TRPs, not about advertising revenues.

Multiple choice

Directions: Analyse the statements given and choose an appropriate answer for the question that follows:

The press emphasises dramatic events such as food product poisoning over less sensational events such as the recall of a popular food product, which is a far more common occurrence and poses a much larger risk to the general public. However, the public is inclined to think that the level of attention given to an event represents the true level of risk that the event poses.

Which of the following claims is most strongly supported by the information in the passage above?

  1. Other media, such as television and radio, are a superior source of information to the press industry.

  2. The emphasis shown by the press industry to spectacular events is an expected reaction to the taste of the public.

  3. Occurrences that people feel are beyond their control are usually considered to be more dangerous than those considered to be avoidable.

  4. If the press is the main source of information about events, the public’s awareness of risk does not represent the actual risk the event poses.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This is because the press emphasises what is not the most common occurrence.

Multiple choice

Directions: Read the passage/argument and answer the question that follows it.

The most irksome contributors to the Wikipedia, globally the most global blog, do get censored eventually, though they can always log in under a new identity. Other drawbacks are the subject of earnest internal debate too, such as the Wikipedia's inherent bias towards trivial recent events rather than important historical ones. That is already undergoing a subtle change, slowly, though subjects of interest to northern white computer-literate males are over-covered, while those of interest to others are under-covered in terms of space devoted and the prominence given.

Which of the following options is best supported by the above selection? Mark it as your answer.

  1. The Wikipedia has been very receptive to the flow of critical ideas.

  2. The Wikipedia has always given fair and just treatment to every user community.

  3. The Wikipedia is under no obligation to either respond to or act on criticisms.

  4. Despite all its shortcomings, the Wikipedia is a genuine attempt at creating a blog on virtually anything and everything under the Sun.

  5. The Wikipedia is possibly the biggest online reference source for virtually anything under the Sun.

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The idea of its being the biggest reference source is not given at all, hence ruling out option (5). Options (1) and (5) again are not supported by the paragraph anywhere. Option (2) tends to go against the idea of the passage, which highlights its biasness in this regard. Option (4) summarises the paragraph aptly, while acknowledging both negative and positive features of the Wikipedia.

Multiple choice

Which of these is the best example of “mass media”?

  1. radio

  2. rally for a political candidate

  3. sending an email to a Congressional representative

  4. receiving an email from a Congressional representative
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Mass media refers to technology intended to reach a large audience. Radio was the first electronic medium that allowed for the instantaneous broadcast of news and entertainment to millions of people simultaneously.

Multiple choice writing a paragraph writing english

Select a suitable topic sentence for the given topic:

The effect of T.V. on children.

  1. T.V. can help improve a child's imagination.

  2. Television may adversely affect a person's health.

  3. T.V. has both positive and negative effects on a child's behavior.

  4. Children these days watch a lot of television.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A,C Correct answer
Explanation

The correct topic lines that can suit the given topic are Option A and Option C. Both the sentences give an overview on the effects of television on children. Once the paragraph proceeds the specific effects can be mentioned. Option B is incorrect as it is too specific and points to only one possibility in which the paragraph can be built. Option D is too general and thus does not suit to be a correct topic sentence.

Multiple choice civics media and democracy role and importance of media understanding media role of media in democracy administrative reforms

Writing a balanced report depends on the media being independent.

  1. True

  2. False
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Media plays an important role in democracy. It is regarded as the fourth pillar of democracy. It provides news and discusses events taking place in the country. It makes people aware of how the government works, what are the policies being implemented by the government so that people can take action accordingly. 

It plays important role in promoting transparency in the system. Writing a balanced report depends on the media being independent. It means media is not influenced or controlled by anyone. It writes news unbiasedly and upholds the trusts of people in the media.

Multiple choice

How did yellow journalism impact the American's public perspective of the Spanish-American War?

  1. Provided a public forum to discuss and critique the war

  2. Sensationalized the facts and helped rally American support for the war

  3. Explained the war in graphic detail - turned public against war

  4. Refused to cover the war and kept the public ignorant
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Yellow journalism used sensational headlines and exaggerated stories to stir up public outrage against Spain, which helped build support for the war.

Multiple choice political science election and democracy elections in indian society methods or types of election election in indian democracy

What is the purpose of a press conference?

  1. To know the steps, the government has taken

  2. Distributing information to the media

  3. Quickly disseminate public relation messages

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

A press conference is a meeting, organized for the purposes of officially distributing information to the media. It involves the important guest of the press conference answering questions from reporters.

Multiple choice political science election and democracy elections in indian society methods or types of election election in indian democracy

How does the press conference help to get information on what the government is doing?

  1. The minister explained the steps the government had taken

  2. To announce a new policy or to deny an allegation

  3. To give details of a crime or ask for public help

  4. None of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A press conference is a meeting organised for the purpose of distributing information to the media and answering questions from reporters. Soon after the discussion in the assembly, there was a press conference organised by the health minister. Large numbers of people from different newspapers were present in the press conference. The minister explained the steps the government had taken on a particular situation. This discussion was then reported in different newspapers, which helped the public to know the work done by the government.

Multiple choice

What is the role of the media in the nomination process?

  1. To report on the nomination process

  2. To scrutinize the candidates and their backgrounds

  3. To educate the public about the nomination process

  4. All of the above
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

The media plays a crucial role in the nomination process by reporting on the process, scrutinizing the candidates and their backgrounds, and educating the public about the nomination process.