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UPSC CSE Mains 2018 — Anthropology Questions with Answers

All 56 Anthropology previous-year questions from UPSC CSE Mains 2018, each with the correct answer and a full explanation. Practise them as a free, timed mock test with instant scoring.

1. Q1.Fundamentals of Anthropology

   Write a short note in about 150 words: The relevance of Anthropology.

2. Q2.Social-Cultural Anthropology

   Write a short note in about 150 words: Difference between Science and Magic.

3. Q3.Prehistoric Archaeology

   Write a short note in about 150 words: Town Planning of Harappan Culture.

4. Q4.Social-Cultural Anthropology

   Write a short note in about 150 words: Kinship Terminology.

5. Q5.Social-Cultural Anthropology

   Write a short note in about 150 words: Ways of acquiring mate in tribal society.

6. Q6.Fundamentals of Anthropology

   Explain the biological changes that made human beings capable of making culture.

7. Q7.Social-Cultural Anthropology

   How does customary law function in the tribal society? Discuss its different sources.

8. Q8.Anthropological Theories

   What do you understand by the National Character Study? Illustrate the concept.

9. Q9.Research Methods & Fieldwork

   Define ethnography and present a brief history of ethnographic studies.

10. Q10.Prehistoric Archaeology

    Give an account of the consequences of food production of Neolithic culture.

11. Q11.Linguistic Anthropology

    Critically examine that the structure and content of language are influenced by culture.

12. Q12.Research Methods & Fieldwork

    How is the case study method helpful in understanding a social phenomenon? Explain with a suitable example.

13. Q13.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Describe the culture related to Homo erectus.

14. Q14.Social-Cultural Anthropology

    Write the characteristics of hunting and gathering economy.

15. Q15.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Gordon Childe's Theory of Cultural Evolution.

16. Q16.Human Genetics & Molecular Anthropology

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Advanced molecular anthropology techniques.

17. Q17.Human Genetics & Molecular Anthropology

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Categorize genes that influence human survival.

18. Q18.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Write a short note in about 150 words: 'Race is a myth.' Justify its present-day relevance.

19. Q19.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Issues of elderly and senescence in developing and developed countries.

20. Q20.Human Genetics & Molecular Anthropology

    Explain the mechanisms of human variation in gene frequencies.

21. Q21.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Do Allen's rule and Bergmann's rule hold for human populations? Explain with examples.

22. Q22.Prehistoric Archaeology

    Explain the impact of the discovery of iron technology on contemporary society.

23. Q23.Human Genetics & Molecular Anthropology

    Describe the mechanisms for structural anomalies of autosomes with diagrams.

24. Q24.Prehistoric Archaeology

    Describe the principles of radiocarbon dating. Mention its limitations.

25. Q25.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Narrate the evolution of disease and major causes of ill health in human populations.

26. Q26.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Distinguish between adaptation, adaptability and acclimatization with examples.

27. Q27.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Define fecundity and explain the major factors affecting fecundity in Indian populations.

28. Q28.Research Methods & Fieldwork

    Give an account of the field methods used in the study of Archaeological Anthropology.

29. Q29.Tribal & Indigenous India

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Distinctive cultural features of tribes of Andaman Islands.

30. Q30.Indian Society & Civilization

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Philosophy behind Purusharthas.

31. Q31.Indian Prehistory & Populations

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Endangered Languages.

32. Q32.Indian Society & Civilization

    Write a short note in about 150 words: OBCs among non-Hindu communities.

33. Q33.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Ethnoarchaeology as a research strategy.

34. Q34.Tribal & Indigenous India

    Explain the contribution of tribal cultures to Indian civilization.

35. Q35.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Describe the salient features of Sivapithecus.

36. Q36.Social-Cultural Anthropology

    Discuss the impact of market economy on rural villages.

37. Q37.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    Examine the regional variations of Mesolithic cultures of India.

38. Q38.Indian Society & Civilization

    Based on historical and contemporary evidences, discuss the future of the caste system in India.

39. Q39.Indian Society & Civilization

    Examine the colonial administrators' view that Indian villages can be considered as 'little republics'.

40. Q40.Indian Society & Civilization

    Explain the impact of Buddhism and Jainism on Indian society.

41. Q41.Physical & Biological Anthropology

    What are the various factors influencing population growth in India? Discuss.

42. Q42.Indian Society & Civilization

    Discuss the view that caste is not social stratification, but a system of hierarchy.

43. Q43.Tribal & Indigenous India

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Youth dormitory as an institution.

44. Q44.Tribal & Indigenous India

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Tribe and Scheduled Tribe.

45. Q45.Indian Society & Civilization

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Agrarian social structure.

46. Q46.Indian Society & Civilization

    Write a short note in about 150 words: The impact of Panchayati Raj institutions in rural areas.

47. Q47.Indian Society & Civilization

    Write a short note in about 150 words: Modernization.

48. Q48.Social-Cultural Anthropology

    Compare and contrast the economic typology of tribes given by different anthropologists.

49. Q49.Indian Prehistory & Populations

    Discuss the contribution of S. C. Roy in the study of tribal cultures in India.

50. Q50.Tribal & Indigenous India

    Examine the advancement made in the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act of 2013 over the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.

51. Q51.Indian Prehistory & Populations

    Critically examine the contributions of Makhan Jha and B. N. Saraswati to the study of sacred complexes in India.

52. Q52.Tribal & Indigenous India

    Discuss the various factors resulting in tribal unrest in various parts of India.

53. Q53.Tribal & Indigenous India

    Discuss the salient features of the PESA Act of 1996 and attempt a comparison with the features of the VI Schedule.

54. Q54.Indian Society & Civilization

    Examine the strengths and weaknesses of anthropology in the context of its role in tribal and rural development.

55. Q55.Indian Society & Civilization

    Explain the significance of tribe-caste continuum in the present context.

56. Q56.Tribal & Indigenous India

    Discuss the significance and implementation of the 'Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006'.