Examius
🇮🇳 ICSE Class 9 · subject
ICSE Class 9 History and Civics Syllabus
Every chapter and topic of History and Civics examined in ICSE Class 9 — 1 chapter, 10 topics, plus 53 flashcards written against it.
History and Civics syllabus — full chapter and topic list
Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for History and Civics in ICSE Class 9, not a summary of it.
-
Total History and Civics Class 9 ICSE
10 topics- The Harappan Civilization
- The Vedic Period
- India in the Age of Empires
- The Medieval India
- The Modern Age in Europe
- The Constitution of India
- Electoral Politics in India
- Local Self-Government
- Mass Media and Communications
- The United Nations and its Agencies
History and Civics flashcards for ICSE Class 9
21 of 53 cards from the History and Civics deck — real questions with worked answers.
Around which years did the Harappan (Indus Valley) Civilization flourish at its mature urban phase?
Roughly 2500 BCE to 1750 BCE (the Mature Harappan phase).
Who discovered the Harappan sites of Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, and in which years?
Harappa was excavated under Daya Ram Sahni (1921) and Mohenjo-daro under R.D. Banerji (1922).
What was the most distinctive feature of Harappan town planning?
A grid layout with streets cutting at right angles, divided into a raised Citadel and a Lower Town, with an advanced covered drainage system.
Name the famous bronze artefact found at Mohenjo-daro that shows Harappan metal-casting skill.
The 'Dancing Girl', a bronze figurine made using the lost-wax (cire perdue) technique.
What was the Great Bath at Mohenjo-daro likely used for?
A large watertight tank, probably used for ritual bathing or ceremonial purification.
What writing system did the Harappans use, and what is its key unsolved problem?
A pictographic script (about 400 signs) written right to left (boustrophedon); it remains undeciphered.
List three commonly cited reasons for the decline of the Harappan Civilization.
Recurrent floods/change in river courses, climatic change and drying of rivers, and possible Aryan invasions or ecological degradation.
What does the term 'Veda' mean, and how many Vedas are there?
'Veda' means 'knowledge'; there are four Vedas: Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda.
Which is the oldest Veda and what does it contain?
The Rigveda, a collection of hymns (suktas) in praise of gods, divided into 10 mandalas.
Distinguish the Early (Rig) Vedic Period from the Later Vedic Period by time.
Early Vedic Period: c.1500-1000 BCE; Later Vedic Period: c.1000-600 BCE.
Name the four varnas of the later Vedic social order in hierarchical order.
Brahmins (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors/rulers), Vaishyas (traders/farmers) and Shudras (labourers/servants).
What were the Sabha and Samiti in Vedic political life?
Two assemblies that advised the king: the Sabha (smaller council of elders/nobles) and the Samiti (larger general assembly of the people).
In Vedic society, what were the four ashramas (stages of life)?
Brahmacharya (student), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprastha (forest hermit) and Sannyasa (renunciation).
Who founded the Maurya Empire and in which year?
Chandragupta Maurya founded it around 322 BCE after overthrowing the Nandas.
Which Mauryan emperor adopted Buddhism after the Kalinga War, and in what year was the war?
Ashoka the Great adopted Buddhism after the Kalinga War of c.261 BCE.
What is the name of Kautilya's famous treatise on statecraft and economics?
The Arthashastra, written by Kautilya (Chanakya), minister of Chandragupta Maurya.
Why is the Gupta period (c.320-550 CE) called the 'Golden Age of India'?
Because of remarkable achievements in science, mathematics (concept of zero, decimal system), literature, art and architecture.
Who was the famous astronomer-mathematician of the Gupta age who stated the Earth rotates on its axis?
Aryabhata, author of the Aryabhatiya.
Which Gupta ruler is called the 'Napoleon of India' for his many conquests?
Samudragupta, whose exploits are recorded in the Allahabad Pillar Inscription (Prayag Prashasti).
Who founded the Delhi Sultanate and which dynasty did it begin with?
Qutub-ud-din Aibak in 1206 CE founded the Slave (Mamluk) Dynasty, the first of the Delhi Sultanate.
Name the five dynasties of the Delhi Sultanate in order.
Slave (Mamluk), Khilji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties.
Planning History and Civics for ICSE Class 9
History and Civics is about 20% of the ICSE Class 9 syllabus by topic count — 10 of 49 topics, spread over 1 chapters. At roughly 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic, a first pass runs to about 8 hours.
Work top-down: read the chapter, then tick topics off individually rather than marking the whole chapter done. Sub-topics are where silent gaps hide.
History and Civics (ICSE Class 9) FAQ
What is in the ICSE Class 9 History and Civics syllabus?
History and Civics is split into 1 chapter — Total History and Civics Class 9 ICSE, containing 10 topics and 0 sub-topics in total.
How is History and Civics structured in the ICSE Class 9 syllabus?
1 chapters. History and Civics accounts for about 20% of the topics in the whole ICSE Class 9 syllabus (10 of 49).
How long should I spend on History and Civics for ICSE Class 9?
Budget around 8 hours for a first pass through History and Civics — about 45 minutes per topic plus 12 minutes per sub-topic across its 10 topics. Add revision cycles on top.
Are there flashcards for ICSE Class 9 History and Civics?
Yes — a 53-card History and Civics deck. Sample cards are printed on this page, and the full deck is free in the Examius app with spaced repetition scheduling.