ANTHRO Compass 🧭

Analysis – Anthropology Paper II, 2025

1(a) Soan tradition is a direct hit from PYQ (2019).
1(b) is a direct hit from PYQ “Factionalism and politics in rural India” (2021).
1(c) is also a direct hit from PYQ “The role regionalism plays in demand for autonomy among Indian tribes” (2016).
1(d) is an indirect hit from PYQ in 2022. Though that was specific to Arunachal Pradesh, writing the 2022 answer and adding more tribes of Arunachal gives a holistic response.
1(e) is a direct PYQ from Great tradition and little tradition (2014).

5(a) is a direct hit from PYQ Urbanization and tribal institutions (2021).
5(b) our very famous 10 marker that appears with a year gap every time, a direct hit “Ramapithecus–Sivapithecus debate” (2023).
5(c) is mentioned in the syllabus itself under unit 7.3.
5(d) one more small unit that comes up every other year, also a direct hit from PYQ “Write short notes on Varnashram and the concept of Rina” (2018).
5(e) is expected, as unit 1.1 consistently has 10 markers every year.
8 reflections from PYQs (7 direct + 1 indirect), 1 question straight from the syllabus, 1 expected. Overall, all 10 questions are on the easier side.

Set 2 – Dream Set
2(a): Direct hit from unit 1.2 and PYQ (2015).
2(b): Can UPSC be more predictable? Direct hit from PYQs 2023, 2022 (unit 2).
2(c): Direct hit from PYQ “Critically assess the impact of Christianity on tribal culture and identity” (2021).

Set 3 – Risky
3(a): Core of syllabus from unit 1.1.
3(b): Question spanning various tribal anthropology topics like units 6.1, 6.2. Not a direct hit but overlaps with Paper I.
3(c): B.S. Guha and Iravati Karve are PYQ regulars, but S.R.K. Chopra is not familiar to many aspirants.

Set 4 – Another Dream Set
4(a): Direct hit from multiple PYQs (caste mobility debates → Sanskritisation → upward/downward mobility → recent phenomena → Maratha/Patidar agitations for reservation). Questions like this rarely go wrong.
4(b): Direct hit from PYQ (2018) unit 2.
4(c): Classic, direct question from unit 7.1.

Set 6
6(a): Difficult. Quote was by Andre Beteille. UPSC wanted “village as microcosm.” Tough if misunderstood—since it mentions Indian civilisation one may drift to unit 1.1, but it actually belongs to unit 5.1 Indian Village.
6(b): Widely asked PYQ from unit 9.1, repeats every other year.
6(c): Direct question from unit 7.1 on OBCs.

Set 7 - Good pick
7(a): From various PYQs of units 9.1 and 9.2.
7(b): Requires synthesis of topics and PYQs from units 7.3 and 9.3.
7(c): Direct PYQ from 2019, unit 8.2.

Set 8
8(a): Tribal India (units 6.1, 6.2, 6.3) with strong linkage to Nature–Man–Spirit Complex (unit 3.3) as studied in the Nilgiris.
8(b): Direct hit from PYQs of unit 5.2.
8(c): New version of PYQ asked in 2024 from unit 9.1.

Best picks: Set 2 + Set 4 + Set 7. Just by preparing PYQs from 2013–2024 properly with decent depth, one can complete all 10 markers and write proper answers for these three sets without fumbling. Paper II is relatively easier than Paper I, but not as easy as many are claiming: the 10 markers are simple, for the rest, set selection matters as few questions had deliberate word play.

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The question paper is on the tougher side mainly because the 10-mark questions demand deeper conceptual understanding to attempt effectively. However, the relevance of PYQs has not diminished; dont fall into traps of people claiming getting 10 questions or some questions reflected as they are covered by PYQs anyway. Focusing on PYQs while maintaining a reasonable depth of preparation makes this paper entirely doable. Anthropology continues to be a relevant and comparatively easier optional subject. Unlike PSIR or Sociology, where questions are often oddly specific and require heavy theoretical detailing of every single term in the syllabus, Anthropology, though analytical and requiring interpretation, remains comparatively straightforward and predictable.

For those preparing for 2026: Prioritize building mastery over PYQs from 2013–2025, revise the syllabus with added focus on emerging themes (like embodiment, multispecies ethnography, DOHaD, GWAS), and strengthen conceptual clarity in 10-markers. If you practice writing crisp, theory-backed short answers alongside detailed 20-markers, you will remain fully prepared for the evolving trends of UPSC Anthropology.

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Analysis – Anthropology Paper I, 2025

Section A – Q1(a) to Q1(e)
Q1(a) Mendelian and non-Mendelian traits → A direct hit from syllabus and PYQs. Straightforward genetics answer.
Q1(b) Purum kinship system → Manageable. Even without detail, linking it to Indian ethnography (Iravati Karve’s kinship zones) and alliance theory (Lévi-Strauss) can secure ~4 marks.
Q1(c) Osteodontokeratic culture → Direct hit from prehistoric archaeology (PYQ).
Q1(d) Smell as a signal among non-human primates → From Unit 1.5: Primates. Evolutionary role + social signalling examples (territoriality, mating) suffice for ~3.5 marks.
Q1(e) Culture and embodiment → A word-play question. Reading “embodiment” as culture in active form (symbols, ritual, postmodern views) and citing Mauss, Bourdieu, Csordas fetches ~3.5 marks.
10 markers are tougher this year: less direct, more interpretive. But each can be attempted with basic anthropological sense + PYQ orientation.

Section B – Q5(a) to Q5(e)
Q5(a) Multispecies, multi-sited, critical ethnography → Demands awareness of recent ethnographic trends. Not everyone is updated, but tracing ethnography’s evolution and mentioning Appadurai, Anna Tsing, etc. gives ~3 marks.
Q5(b) Evolutionary significance of menopause → Direct syllabus hit.
Q5(c) Fission track dating method → Moderate. Even if you forget details, invoking nuclear fission, U-238, dating range, and archaeological application secures ~3 marks.
Q5(d) Mitochondrial DNA & human evolution → Direct hit. Neanderthal admixture, African origin debates.
Q5(e) Fetal origin of adult diseases (Barker hypothesis) → Difficult if unprepared. Still, general points—nutrition, stress, epigenetics—can fill an answer script decently.
Section B compulsory short notes are heavier on contemporary developments—a clear signal UPSC wants awareness of ongoing debates in anthropology.

Set 2 (Q2) – Good pick.
2(a) is a direct hit and even if you didnt study it, everyone has knowledge about dryopithecus, and from Paleo in Paper-2 you must have learnt Ramapithecus, Sivapithecus. YES, that is the answer.
2(b) Symbolic anthropology (Geertz vs Turner) is a direct PYQ.
2(c) is a twisted version of PYQ, "Bio-cultural approach is the hallmark of biological anthropology"

Set 3 (Q3) – Mixed difficulty.
Q3(a): Pedigree vs genealogical analysis → scattered topics (methods + applications).
Q3(b): Science–humanities bridge → moderately tough, needs breadth (theory + applied).
Q3(c): Mousterian tools → easy direct hit.

Set 4 (Q4) – Dream set.
Q4(a): Anthropology as multidimensional discipline → can be written from Unit 1.1 + Unit 1.3.
Q4(b): Mousterian tradition → easy, direct.
Q4(c): Frazer → Golden Bough + stages of religion.

Set 6 (Q6) – Another dream set.
Q6(a): Genetic markers → PYQ (2013).
Q6(b): Biological anthropology becoming more scientific → direct syllabus hit.
Q6(c): Linguistic anthropology perspectives → PYQ + syllabus (Sapir–Whorf, Hymes, semiotics).

Set 7 (Q7) – Moderate.
Q7(a): Linguistic anthropology + thought → requires interlinking (Units 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 6).
Q7(b): Neolithic revolution, Childe must be mentioned.
Q7(c): African origin → PYQ framing, comparing Out of Africa vs Multiregional.

Set 8 (Q8) – Risky.
Q8(a): Postmodernism & social justice → direct and simple.
Q8(b): GWAS → specific, tough.
Q8(c): Forensic anthropology → easy PYQ (2019).

Best picks: Set 2 + Set 4 + Set 6. These combine PYQ familiarity, direct syllabus links, and manageable difficulty.

📌 GREAT NICOBAR PROJECT : SIA FLAWS

A public hearing was held in Campbell Bay to assess the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for a proposed road under the ₹81,000 crore Great Nicobar Mega Project, attended by about 40 people including settler residents and Nicobarese village captains. The SIA examined only 90 hectares, despite the project’s planned acquisition covering 666 hectares.


🔍 ANTHROPOLOGY RELEVANCE:

1. Exclusion of Indigenous Voices – Nicobarese opposition & Shompen concerns omitted; violates Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) under UNDRIP. (Eric Wolf – structural marginality; Paul Farmer – structural violence).

2. Misrepresentation – Portrays tribals as pro-development and “willfully adopting” modern life. (Franz Boas – cultural relativism; Arturo Escobar – imposed modernity).

3. Language Barrier – Report in English, inaccessible to most tribals. (Pierre Bourdieu – linguistic capital and exclusion).

4. Incomplete Scope – 576 ha unassessed; risks to subsistence, sacred sites, ecology. (Julian Steward – cultural ecology; Edward Said – political “Othering”).


📚 SYLLABUS LINK:

Paper II:
➤ Unit 6.2 (Tribal problems – land loss)
➤ Unit 6.3 (Development projects – displacement)
➤ Unit 9.1 (PVTGs – policy gaps)

Paper I:
➤ Unit 3 (Economic base disruption)
➤ Unit 7 (Language exclusion)
➤ Unit 8 (Lack of FPIC methods)

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