Which of the following modes of communication is most significant for the government, especially at the time of war?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Satellite communication
Option (1) Print media — Incorrect. News reaches people only after it is printed and delivered, too late to watch a border.
Option (2) Postal communication — Incorrect. Letters take days to arrive, far too slow in a war.
Option (3) Communication through sign language — Incorrect. Hand and body gestures used in place of speech work only face to face.
Option (4) Satellite communication — Correct. A satellite gives a continuous and synoptic view of a large area, so the whole border can be watched at once and all the time. That makes satellite communication very important for strategic reasons: its images allow the surveillance of border areas, and satellites also carry and regulate the other means of communication. In a war, when movements change by the hour, this unbroken view is what lets the government see and act in time.
Note: The concept in Option (3), ‘sign language’, is not in NCERT (2025-26); explained here for the benefit of the students.
NCERT (2025-26): “Satellite Communication … Satellites are mode of communication in themselves as well as they regulate the use of other means of communication. However, use of satellite in getting a continuous and synoptic view of larger area has made satellite communication very vital for the country due to the economic and strategic reasons. Satellite images can be used for the weather forecast, monitoring of natural calamities, surveillance of border areas, etc.…” |