Maharashtra State Board · Class 10 · History Chapter 5
Mass Media and History Worksheet
Practise the history and uses of newspapers, radio, television and digital media. The worksheet combines quick recall with source-based reading and written explanations, so you can revise the chapter before checking the complete answer key.
About the chapter: Mass media communicates information to large groups of people. Newspapers, radio, television and digital platforms also become sources for historians: they preserve reports, photographs, recordings, programmes and public responses from their time.
This Class 10 History Chapter 5 worksheet helps you study the development of these media in India and explain why information must be checked carefully. Dated board questions, a model-set item, textbook activities and additional board-style questions are labelled separately in the worksheet.
What is inside the Chapter 5 worksheet?
MCQs and objective questions
Eight MCQs test facts about the first English and Marathi newspapers, Akashvani, Doordarshan, colour television and media verification. Fill-in-the-blank, true-or-false and correlation questions check the basic vocabulary of the chapter.
Wrong pairs, map and table
Correct sets involving newspapers and their editors, publication frequency and broadcasting terms. Complete a concept map of mass-media forms, a television timeline and a comparative table of newspapers, radio and television.
Short notes and reasons
Write about the need for mass media, newspapers in the freedom struggle, careers and digital journalism. Explain why media reports require critical review and how historical knowledge improves articles and programmes.
Passage and long answers
Read an extract tracing broadcasting from IBC to AIR and Akashvani. Detailed questions cover Akashvani's history, Indian newspapers, mass media in democracy, the use of history across media and a review of a historical television serial.
Board questions and exam practice
The worksheet marks the question on India's first English newspaper with March 2019 and March 2022. Other dated items include a March 2022 question about the history of Akashvani and a question on television's popularity marked March 2019 and March 2023. Some questions are labelled “model set,” “textbook” or “board-style”; these labels distinguish them from questions identified as appearing in a board paper.
Pay particular attention to the relationship between a medium and its historical value. A newspaper issue can record how an event was reported at the time. A radio recording can preserve a speech. A historical television programme can introduce viewers to the past, but its costumes, setting and claims still need careful research.
How to revise with this worksheet
- Build a short media timeline. Revise early newspapers, the development of radio broadcasting and the growth of Doordarshan.
- Attempt the objective sections first. Answer MCQs and wrong pairs without looking at the key. Correct each wrong association with the proper name or time period.
- Compare the three major media. Use the worksheet table to distinguish newspapers as print, radio as audio and television as audio-visual communication.
- Write reasons with examples. For historical accuracy in a television serial, mention details such as dress, language, setting and the research needed to portray a period.
- Check and retry. Review the answer key after writing. Return to the facts or explanations you missed and answer them again from memory.
Passage tip: In the Akashvani extract, follow the sequence of names: Indian Broadcasting Company, Indian State Broadcasting Service and All India Radio. Use only the requested details for its short factual answers, then explain the wider historical role of radio in longer questions.
Important topics to study
- Newspapers in India: Revise early newspapers, their editors, social reform reporting and their contribution to political awareness.
- Akashvani: Understand the main changes in Indian radio broadcasting and the variety of programmes it carries.
- Television: Know why moving images and sound increased its reach and how history supports documentaries and serials.
- Digital media: Consider its speed and reach, along with the need to verify material before sharing it.
- Sources for historians: Explain what dated newspapers, recordings and programmes can reveal, and why their accuracy and viewpoint still require examination.
Answer key and textbook solutions
The complete answer key follows all 36 questions. Attempt the worksheet first so you can identify areas that need further revision. For descriptive answers, check that you have included the essential facts, a relevant example and a clear explanation rather than copying the key word for word.
Continue with Chapter 5 solutions
Read the Mass Media and History Class 10 solutions for textbook exercise answers and more detailed explanations. You can also browse all Maharashtra State Board Class 10 History solutions.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the Mass Media and History worksheet?
The worksheet contains 36 questions and a complete answer key. It includes MCQs, corrected pairs, a concept map, a timeline and table, short notes, explanations, a passage and long answers.
Does this worksheet contain previous-year board questions?
Yes. Selected questions carry a board-exam month and year in the worksheet. It also includes items labelled model set, textbook or board-style for additional practice. Check each printed label to identify the type of question.
Who started the first English newspaper in India?
James Augustus Hickey started the Bengal Gazette. The worksheet uses this fact in an MCQ marked with board-exam years. Associate the person with the newspaper title when revising.
What is the difference between radio and television?
Radio is an audio medium: listeners hear speech, music and other sounds. Television is audio-visual because it combines sound with moving images. Both can carry news and educational programmes, but the type of evidence they preserve differs.
Why are newspapers useful to historians?
Dated newspapers preserve contemporary reports, advertisements, editorials and public debates. A historian can use them to study how events were described at the time, while also checking the newspaper's viewpoint and comparing other sources.
Why should media information be verified?
A report may be mistaken, edited, incomplete or biased. Check its original source and date, separate fact from opinion and compare trustworthy accounts. The worksheet uses this idea in objective questions and explanations with reasons.
How is history used in television programmes?
Historical documentaries and serials need research on events, social life, clothing, buildings, language and objects from the period they portray. Accurate research helps viewers understand the past and reduces misleading details.
How should I review a historical television serial?
Briefly identify the serial and the period or topic it presents. Comment on its storyline, historical information, costumes, sets, narration and any details you would verify. The worksheet includes a model response to guide the structure of this project answer.
Where can I find the Chapter 5 textbook solutions?
Use the Mass Media and History solutions page. The Class 10 History solutions collection contains the related chapters.
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