Social Science Class IX Syllabus

Exam Structure

Unit 1: India and the Contemporary World – I

Three themes in the first sub-unit and one each from the second sub unit could be studied.

Sub-unit 1.1 : Events and processes: (All the three themes are compulsory)

In this unit the focus is on three events and processes that have in major ways shaped the identity of the modern world. Each represents a different form of politics, and a specific combination of forces. One event is linked to the growth of liberalism and democracy, one with socialism, and one with a negation of both democracy and socialism.

I. The French Revolution:

• (a) The Ancient Regime and its crises.
• (b) The social forces that led to the revolution.
• (c) The different revolutionary groups and ideas of the time.
• (d) The legacy. (Compulsory Chapter-1)

II. Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution:

• (a) The crises of Tzarism.
• (b) The nature of social movements between 1905 and 1917.
• (c) The First World War and foundation of Soviet state.
• (d) The legacy. (Chapter 2)

III. Nazism and the Rise of Hitler:

• (a)The growth of social democracy
• (b) The crises in Germany.
• (b) The basis of Hitler’s rise to power.
• (c) The ideology of Nazism.
• (d) The impact of Nazism. (Chapter 3)

Sub-unit 1.2: Livelihoods, Economies and Societies:

The themes in this section will focus on how different social groups grapple with the changes in the contemporary world and how these changes affect their lives.

Any one theme of the following:

IV. Forest Society and Colonialism:

• (a) Relationship between forests and livelihoods.
• (b) Changes in forest societies under colonialism.
• Case studies: Focus on two forest movements one in colonial India (Bastar) and one in Indonesia. (Chapter 4)

V. Pastoralists in the Modern World:

• (a) Pastoralism as a way of life.
• (b) Different forms of pastoralism.
• (c) What happens to pastoralism under colonialism and modern states?
• Case studies: Focus on two pastoral groups, one from Africa and one from India. (Chapter 5)

VI. Peasants and Farmers:

• (a) Histories of the emergence of different forms of farming and peasant societies.
• (b) Changes within rural economies in the modern world.
• Case studies: focus on contrasting forms of rural change and different forms of rural societies (expansion of large-scale wheat and cotton farming in USA, rural economy and the Agricultural Revolution in England, and small peasant production in colonial India) (Chapter 6)

Map Work Based on theme 4/5/6. (Internal choice will be provided)

Unit 2: Contemporary India – I

1. India – Size and Location

2. Physical Features of India: relief, structure, major physiographic unit.

3. Drainage: Major rivers and tributaries, lakes and seas, role of rivers in the economy, pollution of rivers, measures to control river pollution. (Chapter 3)

4. Climate: Factors influencing the climate; monsoon- its characteristics, rainfall and temperature distribution; seasons; climate and human life. (Chapter 4)

5. Natural Vegetation and Wild Life: Vegetation types, distribution as well as altitudinal variation, need for conservation and various measures. Major species, their distribution, need for conservation and various measures.

6. Population: Size, distribution, age sex composition, population change migration as a determinant of population change, literacy, health, occupational structure and national population policy: adolescents as under-served population group with special needs. (Chapter 6)

Unit 3: Democratic Politics – I

2. What is Democracy? Why Democracy?:

What are the different ways of defining democracy? Why has democracy become the most prevalent form of government in our times? What are the alternatives to democracy? Is democracy superior to its available alternatives? Must every democracy have the same institutions and values? (Chapter 2)

3. Constitutional Design:

How and why did India become a democracy? How was the Indian constitution framed? What are the salient features of the Constitution? How is democracy being constantly designed and redesigned in India? (Chapter 3)

4. Electoral Politics:

Why and how do we elect representatives? Why do we have a system of competition among political parties? How has the citizens’ participation in electoral politics changed? What are the ways to ensure free and fair elections? (Chapter 4)

5. Working of Institutions:

How is the country governed? What does Parliament do in our democracy? What is the role of the President of India, the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers? How do these relate to one another? (Chapter 5)

6. Democratic Rights:

Why do we need rights in a constitution? What are the Fundamental Rights enjoyed by the citizen under the Indian constitution? How does the judiciary protect the Fundamental Rights of the citizen? How is the independence of the judiciary ensured? (Chapter 6)

Unit 4: Economics

1. The Story of Village Palampur:

Economic transactions of Palampore and its interaction with the rest of the world through which the concept of production (including three factors of production (land, labour and capital) can be introduced. (Chapter 1)

2. People as Resource:

Introduction of how people become resource / asset; economic activities done by men and women; unpaid work done by women; quality of human resource; role of health and education; unemployment as a form of non utilisation of human resource; sociopolitical implication in simple form. (Chapter 2)

3. Poverty as a Challenge:

Who is poor (through two case studies: one rural, one urban); indicators; absolute poverty (not as a concept but through a few simple examples)-why people are poor; unequal distribution of resources; comparison between countries; steps taken by government for poverty alleviation. (Chapter 3)

4. Food Security in India:

Source of Food grains, variety across the nation, famines in the past, the need for self sufficiency, role of government in food security, procurement of food grains, overflowing of granaries and people without food, public distribution system, role of cooperatives in food security (foodgrains, milk and vegetables ration shops, cooperative shops, two-three examples as case studies) (Chapter 4)

List of Map Items

Subject – History

Chapter-1: The French Revolution

Outline map of France (For locating and labelling/Identification)

• Bordeaux
• Nantes
• Paris
• Marseilles

Chapter-2: Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution

Outline map of World (For locating and labelling/Identification)

• Major countries of First World War: (Central Powers and Allied Powers); Central Powers – Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey (Ottoman Empire); Allied Powers – France, England, (Russia), America

Chapter-3: Nazism and the Rise of Hitler

Outline map of World (For locating and labelling/Identification)

• Major countries of Second World War: Axis Powers – Germany, Italy, Japan; Allied Powers – UK, France, Former USSR, USA
• Territories under German expansion (Nazi power): Austria, Poland, Czechoslovakia (only Slovakia shown in the map), Denmark, Lithuania, France, Belgium

Subject – Geography

CH-1 : INDIA-SIZE AND LOCATION

India – States with Capitals, Tropic of Cancer, Standard Meridian, Southern most, northern most, eastern most and western most point of India (Location and Labelling)

CH-2 : PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA

• Mountain Ranges: The Karakoram, The Zasker,The Shivalik, The Aravali, The Vindhya, The Satpura, Western & Eastern Ghats
• Mountain Peaks: K2, Kanchan Junga, Anai Mudi
• Plateau: Deccan Plateau, Chotta Nagpur Plateau, Malwa plateau
• Coastal Plains: Konkan, Malabar, Coromandal & Northern Circar (Location and Labelling)

CH-3 : DRAINAGE

Rivers: (Identification only)

• a) The Himalayan River Systems-The Indus, The Ganges, and The Satluj
• b) The Peninsular rivers-The Narmada, The Tapi, The Kaveri, The Krishna, The Godavari,The Mahanadi

Lakes: Wular, Pulicat, Sambhar, Chilika, Vembanad, Kolleru

CH-4 : CLIMATE

• 1. Cities to locate : Tiruvananthpuram, Chennai, Jodhpur, Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Leh, Shillong, Delhi, Nagpur. (Location and Labelling)
• 2. Areas receiving rainfall less than 20 cm and over 400 cm (Identification only)

CH-5 : NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILD LIFE

• Vegetation Type: Tropical Evergreen Forest, Tropical Deciduous Forest, Thorn Forest, Montane Forests and MangroveFor identification only
• National Parks: Corbett, Kaziranga, Ranthambor, Shivpuri, Kanha, Simlipal & Manas
• Bird Sanctuaries: Bharatpur and Ranganthitto
• Wild life Sanctuaries: Sariska, Mudumalai, Rajaji, Dachigam (Location and Labelling)

CH-6 : POPULATION (location and labelling)

• The state having highest and lowest density of population
• The state having highest and lowest sex ratio
• Largest and smallest state according to area