Seen Comprehension Unit 8

Lesson 2: The First Newspaper

Read the text and answer questions 1 and 2: 

Humans have a natural curiosity to know the unknown, to see the unseen and to conquer the unconquered. Every day so many things are happening around and human beings are eager to know them all. They not only like to know happenings in their own and other countries, but also what is happening in Antarctica or Mars, or Siberia. This curiosity to know and understand situations is not a contemporary phenomenon. It is true, the world wide web (www) has made our life easier and now we know anything that takes place at the farthest corners of the world with a single click. However, it was not that easy a few hundred years ago. Through a process of evolution, the newspaper has now become a part and parcel of human life. Modern people cannot think of a day when they don’t have a newspaper passed through the doors in the early morning. A fresh newspaper with a hot cup of tea or coffee has been the symbol of modern urban life. We peep at a newspaper for national, local, international or sports news. Is there a show of Nuruldiner Sarajibon, or Chitrangoda or Hamlet? Is there a suitable job offer? Are there any sales? Let us have a look at the newspaper. The newspaper is the ultimate destination for advertisements of products, classified advertisements for finding brides and bridegrooms, houses to-let, sales, and what not? It is said, in the modern world, information is power and a newspaper is an information hub.

But how were the initial days of the newspapers? The first newspaper, Acta Diurna, was published in ancient Rome in 59 BC. Acta Diurna meaning ‘daily acts’ posted different types of announcements and social events. However, Acta Diurna was not a paper-based newspaper. It was a message board displayed in public places. Just imagine how old the history of the newspaper in human civilization is! Acta Diurna was published just 59 years before the birth of Jesus Christ! Unit-8, Lesson-2

1. Choose the correct answer to each question from the alternatives given and write the corresponding number of the answer in your answer script.

a. What is the meaning of the word ‘curiosity’? 

i) tendency

ii) wish

iii) dream

iv) great desire to know something new

b. The first newspaper was published  years before the birth of Jesus Christ.

i) 59

ii) 60

iii) 49

iv) 55

c. Human life has become very easy due to .

i) the curiosity of humans

ii)  the happenings in the world

iii) the world wide web

iv) the show of different dramas

d. What is the meaning of the word ‘ancient’?   

i) recent

ii) primitive

iii) contemporary

iv) grown up 

e. The phrase 'the unconquered' indicates to . 

i) that can be achieved

ii) that hasn't been invaded yet

iii) that has already been conquered

iv) something which is conquerable

f. What is advertisement? 

i) say in favour of someone

ii) public announcement about a product/ job

iii) say against a product

iv) to inform people about the product

g. 'This curiosity to know and understand situations is not a contemporary phenomenon.' Here, 'a contemporary phenomenon' implies .

i) curiosity is a hidden aspect of human being

ii) a trait which is very recent

iii) curiosity of human beings is an inborn quality

iv) since time immemorial humans are curious

 More Questions

1. 'A fresh newspaper' is .

i) a newly bought newspaper

ii) a newspaper containing the latest updates of all news

iii) a well-arranged newspaper

iv) a newspaper that looks very colourful

2. What does 'hub' not mean in the text?

i) centre

ii) effective network

iii) storehouse

iv) a station

3. What symbolizes the modern urban life according to the text?

i) A updated newspaper

ii) A newspaper with a cup of tea or coffee

iii) The news from the internet

iv) Newspapers passing through the door

4. What empowers us in the modern world?

i) money

ii) internet

iii) information

iv) newspaper

5. The initial days of newspaper were very . 

i) satisfactory

ii) cheerful

iii) bleak

iv) unfortunate

6. The first newspaper was published in .

i) Egypt

ii) China

iii) America

iv) ancient Rome 

7. The first newspaper supplied the news of -. 

i) game and sports

ii) music

iii) announcement and social event   

iv) politics 

8. The first newspaper was not a  newspaper.

i) popular

ii) profitable

iii) commercial

iv) paper-based

9. The first newspaper was  a  board.

i) wooden

ii) message

iii) electric

iv) paper

10. The first newspaper used to be  in public places.

i) displayed

ii) read

iii) sold

iv) printed.

11. The first newspaper was published in .

i)   before the birth of Christ

ii) after the birth of Christ

iii) during the life time of Christ

iv) in the middle age

12. The name of first newspaper Acta Diurna means .

i) daily news

ii) daily acts

iii) daily life

iv) daily facts

13. What is the meaning of the word ‘peep’?   

i) oversee

ii) display

iii) have a quick look

iv) look secretly

14. What is the meaning of the word ‘ultimate’?   

i) final

ii) decent

iii) nonviolent

iv) detached

15. What is the meaning of the word ‘initial’?   

i) start

ii) beginning

iii) modern

iv) gain

16. What is the meaning of the word ‘destination’?   

i) first place  

ii) second place

iii) last place

iv) last one

17. What is the meaning of the word ‘display’?

i) purchase

ii) vend

iii) show something publicly

iv) play

18. What is the meaning of the word ‘contemporary’? 

i) something is older than another thing

ii) same year    

iii) two things are almost of the same time

iv) current year

19. What is the meaning of the word ‘conquer’? 

i) defeat

ii) capture

iii) arrest

iv) getting control over something

20. What is the meaning of the word ‘worldwide’?  

i) in the world

ii) of the world

iii) throughout the world

iv) under world

2. Answer the following questions from your reading of the above text.

a. What curiosity does a human being have? 

b. What do you mean by classified advertisement? 

c. How has human life become easier?

d. 'Humans have a natural curiosity to know the unknown, to see the unseen and to conquer the unconquered' —  Do you agree? Why/Why not?

 More Questions

1. What types of news do people want to know?

2. How has newspaper come to its present stage?   

3. What is the symbol of modern urban life?

4. What helps us to know what is happening in the farthest corner of the world? 

5. What has now newspaper become? 

6. How does a day of a city dweller usually start?

7. Give the introduction of 'Acta Diurna'.

8. What do you understand by phenomenon? 

9. What is information hub?

10. How can a newspaper satisfy all types of readers?

Lesson 2: The First Newspaper

Read the text and answer questions 1 and 2. 

Much later, at the beginning of the 16th century, printed ‘news books’ were published in England and they were based on stories such as battles, disasters or public celebrations. The London Gazette claims to be England’s oldest newspaper published in 1665. The 17th century also marks the regular publication of newspapers in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. Johann Carolus published the first weekly newspaper, Account of All Distinguished and Commemorable News, from Germany in 1605. The newspapers that are delivered to your house each day started its journey from the 18th Century. The Pennsylvania Packet and The Daily Advertiser were the first daily newspapers from the US, which came out in 1784. Many independent newspapers ran before that on a weekly or monthly basis.

The first newspaper printed in India was Hickey’s Bengal Gazette in 1780 under the British Raj. It was published by James Augustus Hickey. In this process, the first Bangla weekly newspaper, the Samachar Darpon, came out in 1818. The missionaries ran this newspaper. The Azad became Dhaka’s first daily newspaper. It was founded in 1960s. The Azad played an important role during our language movement as the daily Ittefaq played glorious role in our struggle- for independence.

In the 21st century, there is a change in the form and presentation of newspapers. They are no more confined to tabloid and broadsheet sizes. Nearly all the world’s major newspapers have begun publishing online editions of their newspapers and although some newspapers charge their readers for access, many have made their web editions free. Yet, having a printed newspaper is still an obsession for many people in the world. Unit-8, Lesson-2

1. Choose the correct answer to each question from the alternatives given and write the corresponding number of the answer in your answer script.

a. The word ‘century’ in line 1 refers to a period of  years.

i) 10

ii) 100

iii) 1,000

iv) 10,000

b. What is the the oldest newspaper of England? 

i) The Times of London

ii) The Guardian

iii) The London Gazette

iv) The Mirror

c. The name of the first newspaper printed in India is .

i) Samachar Darpan

ii) Times of India 

iii) Hickey’s Bengal Gazette

iv) Dalton’s Indian Gazette 

d. The closest meaning of the word ‘beginning’ in line 1 is .

i) ending

ii) opening

iii) running

iv) finishing

e. The phrase 'web edition' means .

i) an internet page

ii) online edition of a newspaper

iii) a leaflet of a newspaper

iv) the website address of a newspaper

f. In the 17th century, the newspaper was also printed on regular basis in .

i) 3 countries

ii) 4 countries

iii) 5 countries

iv) 6 countries

g. In the text, 'obsession' implies .

i) mental state of a person

ii) a disorder in personality

iii) a mental disease

iv) a passion of a person

 More Questions

1. What does 'public celebration' means?

i) a marriage ceremony

ii) a local event

iii) a national event

iv) an international programme

2. The word 'weekly' can be defined as .

A. once a week

B. seven days in a row

C. every week

Which one is correct?

i) A & B   

ii) B & C 

iii) A & C 

iv) A, B & C

3. The Liberation War of Bangladesh owes to .

i) The Bengal Gazette

ii) The Azad

iii) The Samachar Darpon

iv) The Ittefaq

4. The London Gazette was Published in .

i) 1600

ii) 1616

iii) 1656

iv) 1665

5. The first daily newspaper was published from .

i) England

ii) France

iii) Germany

iv) The US

6. The first daily newspaper came out in .

i) 1764

ii) 1774

iii) 1784

iv) 1805 

7. From  century, the newspapers are started to deliver to our house each day. 

i) 15th

ii) 16th

iii) 17th

iv) 18th 

8.  century is marked as the regular publication of newspaper in Europe. 

i) 15th

ii) 6th

iii) 17th

iv) 18th

9.  published the first weekly newspaper. 

i) Alexander Philip

ii) Carlos Donn

iii) Johann Carolus

iv) Von Richward

10. The first weekly newspaper was published in .

i) 1505

ii) 1605

iii) 1705

iv) 1805 

11. The first weekly newspaper was published from .

i) England

ii) France

iii) Germany

iv) The US 

12. The Samachar Darpan came out in —.  

i) 1808

ii) 1815

iii) 1818

iv) 1823

13. The first newspaper published from Dhaka is the .

i) Dainik Bangla

ii) Azad

iii) Inqilab

iv) Ittefaq

14. The closest meaning of the word ‘later’ in line 1 is .

i) past

ii) present

iii) future

iv) ago

15. The word ‘publish’ in the text refers to .

i) run

ii) start

iii) establish

iv) print

16. In , the first newspaper was printed in India. 

i) 1770

ii) 1780

iii) 1795

iv) 1811

17. The first newspaper was printed in India during the .

i) Sultani Era

ii) Mughul Era

iii) British Era

iv) Modern Era 

18.  published the first newspaper in India.

i) Romesh Das

ii) Rana Pratap Singh

iii) James Augustus Hickey

iv) Ibrahim Khan

19. The name of the Bangla first weekly newspaper is the .

i) Somaj Darpan

ii) Samachar Darpan

iii) Sandesh

iv) Bengal Provakar

20. 'News books' comprised .

i) battles

ii) disasters

iii) stories

iv) celebrations

2. Answer the following questions from your reading of the above text.

a) What were ‘news books’ based on? 

b) Which century is marked as the regular publication of newspaper in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands? 

c) How are the newspapers related to the history of Bangladesh?

d) 'The USA introduced its first daily newspaper in the 18th century'— do you agree? Why/Why not?

 More Questions

1. Narrate the history of publishing newspapers in the 17th century.

2. What have you learnt about the publication of newspaper in Indian Subcontinent from the passage? Write in 3 sentences.

3. What are news books? 

4. When were ‘News books’ published in England? 

5. What is ‘Account of All Distinguished and Commemorable News’?  

6. Who published the first weekly newspaper? 

7. When was the first weekly newspaper published? 

8. From which country was the first weekly newspaper published? 

9. Which newspaper is claimed to be the oldest one of England? 

10. When was the London Gazette published?

Lesson 3: TV News Reporters

Read the text carefully and answer the questions 1 and 2. 

Have you noticed TV reporters appearing on the screen with reports of different types of news? Have you thought how these reports are prepared? Scorching sun, monsoonal showers or bitter winter can never stop them from reaching the news spot. The reports include political issues, people’s protests, accidents, social events or thoughtful opinion of expert people, price hike, a celebration after a cricket match win and what not? TV reporters do not miss or delay to cover them.

It is said that old news is no news. Consequently, there is always a hurry among the reporters to be up-to-date in developing stories or even break the story first. Breaking news has become popular among the viewers, it means the first and fast appearance of a startling news on the channels. Once a journalist has been assigned by his editor to cover a story, a team is formed. 

Usually it consists of a journalist, a camera operator and sometimes a sound and or a light technician also join as crew. The journalist investigates the topic, plans interviewing the relevant people and puts forward a concrete idea of the topic which is going to be filmed. The news team then goes out to cover the news and collect the materi¬als. The voice over is then recorded in a studio usually by the journalist or a news presenter. This is the voice that the audience hear while the video clip moves on narrating the story and the reporter is not seen on the screen at that time. It is done to make the visual material and the full story clear to the audience with information and explanation. The editor may edit the report before it is ready to go on air, but often there may be live reporting of incidents.

A TV news report usually begins with an announcement. One or two short sentences explain what it is about. Then in the main report we see the reporter is describing an event into a microphone. To emphasize the significance of the situ¬ation, to show its authenticity, and to convey the feelings of the reporter and others involved, the reporter stands in front of the camera so that the audience can see what's going on in the background. The shots of the scene need to be easy to understand since it provides important visual information to the viewers. It depends on the skills of the camera operator.

In a TV report, there are usually comments or opinions from one to four persons who are related. These statements can be for or against a particular topic. TV news report can use graphics like charts, tables, graphs or archive materials like old photos or videos to make it more comprehensive and credible to the audience. In the concluding part, the reporter summarizes the possible outcomes of the story.

A live coverage of a news is different. Everything has to be finished on the spot and news video is aired instantly and in most cases without much pre-plan. No chance of editing and very less chance for retaking the shot there. Quick intelligent decisions and prompt management of required technical assistance in a situation determines the quality of live reports.

Reporters need to be careful to keep camera shots short and to the point. They also need to use simple language, and speak clearly and concisely as there will be time constraints for each piece of report. In order to keep video shots steady, the camera operator often uses tripod. 4Unit 8; Lesson 3

1. Choose the correct answer to each question from the alternatives given and write the corresponding number of the answer in your answer script.

a. 'On the screen' implies —.

i) on the surface of something

ii) on television

iii) on some kind of cloths

iv) on internet

b. What does a reporter usually not cover?

i) people's protests

ii) sports news

iii) accidents

iv) people's daily activity

c. The editor may edit the report before it is ready to go on air. Here, 'on air' means —.

i) in the atmosphere

ii) broadcast

iii) on television

iv) on internet

d. Why does sometimes a report have only the voice of the reporter? Because —.

i) the reporter does not want to appear on the screen

ii) it may seem to be inappropriate 

iii) the visual material and the full story is made clear

iv) it is a live recording

e. What does 'archive' mean in the phrase 'archive materials'?

i) collected

ii) stored

iii) documentation

iv) documentary

f. Who covers a story?

i) a journalist

ii) an editor

iii) a camera operator

iv) a news presenter

g. — is impossible in case of a live coverage.

i) Taking shot

ii) Much pre-plan

iii) Taking the interviews of related persons

iv) Broadcasting the report

u More Questions

1. In the text 'notice' indicates —.

i) to see something

ii) to give some information

iii) a short published review

iv) a small advertisement

2. Which is opposite to 'scorching'?

i) fierce

ii) mild

iii) freezing

iv) hot

3. Who give thoughtful opinions?

i) reporters

ii) news presenter

iii) experts

iv) politicians

4. A news team may consist of —.

i) an editor, a reporter and a news presenter

ii) a reporter, a camera operator and a sound technician

iii) an editor, an investigator and a light technician

iv) a camera operator, a sound technician and a news presenter

5. — has become very attractive to the viewers. 

i) Breaking news

ii) Political news

iii) Sports news

iv) Entertainment news

6. What does 'startling' mean?

i) boring

ii) uninteresting

iii) soothing

iv) surprising

7. A report is made authentic and credible by —.

i) the reporter's standing in front of the camera

ii) by expressing the reporter's feelings

iii) by showing the activities in the background

Which one is correct?

a) i & ii           

b) i & iii

c) ii & iii             

d) i, ii & iii

8. Which news is actually not a news at all?

i) latest news

ii) old news

iii) breaking news

iv) updated news

2. Answer the following questions.

(a) What does a report include?

(b) 'It is said that old news is no news' — how?

(c) A camera operator needs to be skilled. Why?

(d) 'The reporters try to collect news defying all odds'. Do you agree? Why?

u More Questions

(1) What determines the quality of live reports?

(2) How does a reporter get ready for covering a story? 

(3) How does a reporter prepare a report?

(4) Who edits a report and when?

(5) How does a TV news report progress?

(6) Why does a reporter stand in front of a camera?