How To Prepare Anthropology Optional – Strategy For UPSC Examination.

For both Paper 1 and Paper 2, One must make short and crisp notes on areas like Archaeology and Hominid Fossils. The Physical Anthropology of paper 1 is marks fetching, therefore questions from this area must be attempted in examination.Continue Reading How To Prepare Anthropology Optional – Strategy For UPSC Examination.

Paper 2 has become dynamic for the last 2 years so keep watch on the current happening in newspapers which are related to the topics in Anthropology optional syllabus.

Efficiently use Internet for any clarification or derivative study for related topics or issues. Annual report published in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and other governmental reports concerning with the welfare of SC, ST and minorities should be looked upon once.

Preparation tips for Anthropology

• • Go through the UPSC syllabus for anthropology thoroughly. This is your key to performing well in the exam. You must also go through the previous year question papers and get an idea of the most important topics.
  • Divide the syllabus into sections so that you can cover it easily without getting bogged down. Paper I consists of Social Cultural Anthropology and Biological Anthropology. Paper II consists of Indian Society and Tribal India.
  • Focus on getting conceptual clarity.
  • Try to relate each chapter with others. All chapters are inter-related in this paper.
  • Note making is important for this subject. Incorporate relevant diagrams and flowcharts wherever possible in your notes. They help revision easier and are also a must-have for scoring good marks in anthropology.
  • If you are a novice to the subject, it is recommended that you attempt as many questions from physical anthropology. Here, there is ample scope for diagrams and the questions are largely static.

• Answer writing:

• • • Answer writing practice is a must if you want to score good marks. Try to answer like a specialist. You answers must be divided into: definitions, introduction, explanation, criticisms, etc. When citing something, try to mention the name of the researcher/anthropologist whose work you are referring to and also its criticisms by other scientists. For example, Franz Boas in his article “The Limitation of the Comparative Method of Anthropology (1896)” criticized the evolutionary approach and laid the foundations of Historical Particularism.
    • When you write about one concept, you talk about a main thinker and explain it. But you can get brownie points if you also quote other thinkers on the subject. For instance, in Paper II, in the topic ‘Tribe-based Continuum’, almost every answer will talk about the work of Bailey, but your answer can stand out from the crowd if you write about Madia Gonds as described by Surajit Sinha.
    • Include side-headings in your answers. They give a proper structure to your answers and also make it easier for the examiner to correct. They also make the answer more presentable and neat.
    • As mentioned before, include lots of relevant diagrams and flowcharts in your answers. They save time and also drive home the point better. A good diagram fetches marks. For this, you must practice diagrams every day.
    • Time management is a must. In the exam hall, students can get carried away and tend to write more a particular topic. Your strategy should be to complete the paper on time. Every question is important. To manage time better and complete the paper, you should practice answer-writing rigorously.

• Case studies

• • • Case studies are very important in anthropology. Include as many case studies as possible in your answers.
    • For example, you can write about the Criminal Tribes Act while answering questions about Cultural Relativism. Here, you can talk about how the Act equated a sedentary life with civilised life and grouped many nomadic tribes as criminals by birth, which stigmatised a whole section of society and future generations as well.
    • To give another example, on a question on the impact of industrialisation of Scheduled Tribes on Jharkhand’s population, you can quote a case study by the Tribal Research Institute in Ranchi.
    • You should collect a good number of case studies for relevant topics and study them.

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