Anudeep Durishetty   

IAS | All India Rank 1, UPSC CSE 2017

How to Ace Anthropology Optional: Deep

Dive into Paper I
By Anudeep Durishetty | 121 Comments

Note: On Anthropology, there are a total of three blog posts, of which this is the second one. The
rst one primarily talks about my book list and the basic approach. This is the second article among
the series and it deals with topic wise detailed plan for Paper I. The third article talks about the
detailed plan for Paper II.

Our Chimp cousin contemplating the origin of life, universe and the cosmos.

Syllabus and the Strategy

1.1 to 1.3 – Meaning, Scope; Relationship; Branches

 Core material: Braintree
Value Addition: Ember & Ember

1.4 – Human Evolution

Core material: P. Nath

Value Addition: Ember & Ember
For answer structure and diagrams, refer Anthropology Simpli ed
Get a solid grasp of evolution and its concepts such as: Genetic recombination, directional
selection, Adaptive radiation, Darwinism, Parallelism, Neo-Darwinism etc (Given well in Ember.
Use internet as well)
Innovate in your answers. Ex: You can depict genetic recombination through a diagram and
adaptive radiation through a owchart. Quote examples for topics like adaptive radiation.

1.5 – Primates

Primary Source: P. Nath

For better diagrams/sketches – Use Ember & Ember, Google, Anthropology Simpli ed and notes of
Kirthi (AIR-14, CSE 2015) published in this Insights article.
Go through previous years question papers and prepare notes for most important topics. It’s static
and highly scoring
Must draw diagrams with proper labelling. For example, when you draw skulls of ape and human,
you should comparatively point out changes in parts such as Zygomatic arch, Foramen magnum,
Sagittal crest etc.  Practise diagrams to show evolutionary changes not just in the skull but also foot,
spinal cord, pelvis, dentition etc
Dedicate adequate time to practise neat drawings. Your aim must be to attempt as many questions
as you can from topics like these and max out your scores.

1.6 – Fossils et al

Primary Source: P. Nath

Use Ember & Ember and Anthropology Simpli ed for value addition and diagrams
Practise diagrams for: Australopithecus, Homo Erectus, Rhodesian man, Neanderthal man, Cro Magnon,
Grimaldi, Chancelade
Prepare thoroughly on each and every fossil mentioned in the syllabus.
Focus on:
Phylogenetic Status (i.e. its place in the evolution tree, who are its ancestors/successors, etc.)
Characteristics (physical, cultural aspects, time-span of the fossil)
Geographical distribution
Who discovered the rst fossil, where & when
Distribution of the fossil in other parts of the world
Draw map depicting site names

1.7 – The biological basis of life

 I prepared this unit entirely from the Khan academy YouTube channel
Refer to PDF Slides for diagrams and value addition
DNA replication, translation, protein synthesis must be illustrated with diagrams
Highly scoring

1.8 (1) – Dating methods, etc.

     Ember & Ember

1.8 (2)  Cultural Evolution

I skipped this subtopic for lack of time.

2.1 & 2.2 – Nature of Culture and Society, etc.

Primary Source: BrainTree

Value addition: Ember and Ember

2.3, 2.4, 2.5; 3, 4 and 5 – Marriage, Family, Kinship, Economic Organisation, Political
Organisation, Religion

Most important chapters of Socio-Cultural Anthro.

Primary Sources: Braintree
Use Ember & Ember for value addition, especially for world tribe examples. Note down all of them
in an A4 sheet and memorise.
For all the terms (marriage, religion, magic etc), de nitions must be a scholarly one. Cram word to
word and replicate in your paper.
Always include names of relevant Anthropologist’s name, publication year, name and the tribe on
which the study was done. Eg: If you talk about Kula Ring, your answer will be incomplete without
quoting Malinowski and his work on Trobriand Islanders. Same goes with Totemism and Durkheim.
Also, your answer will stand out only when you quote many examples. Just quoting Indian tribe
examples won’t be enough. For instance, if you are explaining Balanced Reciprocity, you must quote
at least a couple of world tribes (Eg: trade between !Kung and Tswana Buntu) that practice it and
the signi cance of such a system in the tribe. Source these examples from Ember and the internet.
Diagrams and schematics for marriage, kinship, descent are absolutely crucial. Ember & Ember has
some good diagrams (Eg: Kula ring exchange map) and tables. Practise.
For economic anthropology, memorise examples such as that of potlatch: Chinook of Northern
Paci c, Kwakiutl of British Columbia. Also mug up examples for tribes for each of
shing/pastoral/horticulture etc. More the examples, better it is. Also practice rough diagrams of
tools used by these communities.
For political organisation chapter, source examples from Ember and Ember. As I had mentioned,
quote anthropologists, their works and tribe’s names.
 Religion: Same approach as above

6 – Anthropological Theories

Primary Source: Ember & Ember

Additional Details: University of Alabama’s website, Braintree
Prepare short notes on each theory. Expand on:
Why it emerged?
Main thinkers and their major works
Tribes on which the study was done
Criticism
Balanced conclusion
This being a very important chapter, you can go a little deep into each theory and each thinker. You
can read on the internet about the most important work of each anthropologist mentioned in the
syllabus. For example, if you read a little deeper about Cli ord Geertz and his work, you will
understand how he described the Balinese cock ght and its relationship to the society at large.
These will help you write great answers.
The amount of time you invest in this chapter will never go waste. Questions de nitely come from
this chapter and if you write an in-depth answer, it’s a great chance to outshine your competition.

7 – Culture, Language etc

Braintree
Ember & Ember
Anthropology Simpli ed

8 – Research Methods in Anthro

Primary Source: Braintree

Easy and scoring topic
Always mention the name of prominent anthropologist associated with a particular method and
their works. E.g. Participant-Observation method used by Malinowski for his study on Trobriand
Islanders, Genealogical Method by W.H. Rivers, etc.

9.1 to 9.4 – Human Genetics, et al

Primary Source: P. Nath.

PDF material for value addition
Anthropology Simpli ed for diagrams
Use internet extensively to know about technical terms such as Genetic load, genetic drift. Your
clarity  of concepts must be impeccable.
Go through previous years questions from this chapter and prepare notes for all of them
 Value addition: You can write about latest advances in Genetics such as Epigenome, methylation
and its impact on Gene expression etc to make your answers more contemporary. You can get this
content from newspapers and the internet.

9.5 – Race and Racism

Primary Source: P. Nath

Mug up physical characteristics of major races of the world

9.6 – Genetic Markers, Physiological characteristics etc

P. Nath

9.7 – Ecological Anthro

Core material: P. Nath

You can value add from Ember and Ember: Note down adaptation and acclimatization examples

9.8 – Epidemiological Anthropology

I prepared this topic from the PDF material and Anthropology Simpli ed

10 – Growth and Development

Primary Source: P. Nath

Prepare short notes for each topic
Graphs and examples are indispensible. They will enrich your answers.

11.1 to 11.3

P. Nath
Practise graphs and diagrams (Eg: Demographic Transition Theory etc)
You may use internet to enrich the content. Prepare short notes.

12 – Applications of Anthropology

Primary Source: P. Nath

Value Addition: Anthropology Simpli ed, Internet, PDF material
Very important topic of Paper I.
 Practise diagrams wherever appropriate Eg: in DNA technology, Forensic Anthropology,
serogenetics and cytogenetics etc
Scour the internet to understand about the latest research and developments in various elds
wherein Anthropology is being applied for practical purpose. This is way you make your answers
stand out from the rest.

My best wishes.

Note: For the bene t of UPSC aspirants, I am working on a detailed guide book on how to write
powerful Essays and compelling answers (GS and Anthropology) in the UPSC exam. Subscribe to
this blog to download a free chapter and to hear rst when the book launches.

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