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UPSC Anthropology — Previous Year Questions

Every question from Anthropology papers in UPSC Civil Services Mains (2021–2026), organised by year. 96 questions in total, each with directive-word analysis, model answer points, and a full evaluation rubric.

96Questions
6Years covered

2026 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

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Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2026

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Health as a cultural construct (10 marks) (b) Canalization and catch-up growth (10 marks) (c) Myth as oral… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) What is meant by a somatotype? Discuss the Heath-Carter anthropometric method, giving its advantages over that of… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) How do the concepts of power, authority, legitimacy and social control change with changing political organization?… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Discuss the phylogenetic status, characteristic features, geographical distribution and lifeways of Paranthropus… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Ethics in anthropological fieldwork (10 marks) (b) Distinguishing features of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (10… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) How would you find out that a particular disease/disorder is inherited and, if so, in which manner? Elaborate with… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Discuss the mixed method approach in anthropological research. (20 marks) (b) What do you understand by fertility… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Compare Edmund Leach's structuralism with interpretive anthropology of Clifford Geertz. (20 marks) (b) In what… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) Dravidian language family and its tribal speakers. (10 marks) (b) Seed Eaters Model of hominid differentiation. (10… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) What are the major debates related to the concept of jajmani system ? (20 marks) (b) ‘Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Critically examine the salience of F. G. Bailey’s study on Bisipara village of Odisha. (20 marks) (b) Discuss the… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Write an account on the contribution of Verrier Elwin in developing policies for the tribal populations in… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Buddhist tribes of India. (10 marks) (b) Debate regarding the phylogenetic position of Narmada Man. (10 marks) (c)… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Make a critical appraisal of the mesolithic culture of Ganga basin with reference to artifacts, faunal and human… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Assess the contribution of colonial scholars in studying the tribal populations of North-East India. (20 marks) (b)… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Make a critical appraisal of Surajit Sinha's line of argument that tribes and castes may not be isolated social… 50 marks

2025 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

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Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2025

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Mendelian and non-Mendelian traits. (10 marks) (b) Theoretical significance of Purum kinship-system. (10 marks) (c)… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Discuss the Miocene hominoid remains and their significance in evolution. (20 marks) (b) Compare and contrast the… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) How anthropologists assess the nutritional status of a community? Discuss the significance of intersectionality of… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Anthropology provides a multidimensional understanding of human beings by bridging the gap between science and… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Multispecies, Multi-sited and Critical Ethnography. (10 marks) (b) Evolutionary significance of menopause. (10… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) What are genetic markers? Discuss their applications in understanding population variation, disease association and… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) How the study of variation in forms of marriage led to rethinking on the concepts of social reproduction, kinship… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) How the theories of postmodernism are relevant in promoting social justice and empowerment of marginalised… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) 'Soanian cultural' tradition (b) Caste domination, factionalism and political power (c) Regionalism and Autonomy… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Discuss the palaeoanthropological significance of Siwaliks of India giving its subdivisions, fossil primate fauna… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Describe the distinctive features and distribution of Upper Palaeolithic of India. 20 (b) Examine the environmental… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) What are the different types of caste mobility in India? Highlight the various factors responsible for it. 20 (b)… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Impact of urbanization and industrialization on tribal communities of India (b) Taxonomic status of Ramapithecus in… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) "The village was not merely a place where people lived; it had a design in which were reflected the basic values of… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Identify the contemporary limitations in the process of tribal development. How can anthropological knowledge… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Describe the nature of traditional socioeconomic interdependence among the Toda, Kota, Kurumba and Irula tribes of… 50 marks

2024 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

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Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2024

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Attributes of culture (b) Harappan maritime trade (c) Critical perspective on avoidance and joking relationship (d)… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Discuss historical particularism as a critical development to the classical evolutionism. 20 marks (b) Describe the… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) What is meant by karyotype? How does its analysis help in diagnosis of the chromosomal aberrations in man? 20 marks… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Critically discuss the characteristics of the psychological types in the cultures of the American South-West as… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Chronometric dating (b) Cultural relevance of the Kula (c) Heritability and its estimation (d) Authority and forms… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Discuss the geographical distribution of Homo erectus. Taking into account its physical features, where does it fit… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Critically explain the notion of 'deconstruction' in the light of the postmodern works of Jacques Derrida. 20 marks… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Examine critically the concept of social stratification as a basis for sustaining social inequality. 20 marks (b)… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) Digitisation of rural economy 10 (b) Origin of State Societies 10 (c) Syro-Malabar Christians 10 (d) Artisan tribes… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Critically discuss the recent welfare measures initiated by the Government for the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Critically describe evidences from Rakhi Garhi and its linkages to Harappan civilization. 20 (b) Compare and… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) What are the ethical concerns in biological and socio-cultural anthropology because of recent advances in AI and… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) B.K. Roy Burman's concept of 'Buffer Zone' 10 (b) Describe ILO's Convention No. 169 (1989) on Indigenous and Tribal… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Custodians of natural resources are the tribals, but they are the most deprived. Critically examine how climate… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Critically examine existing paradigms of holistic health for the marginalised sections of society drawing… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Describe the important Paleolithic sites from South India with suitable examples. What is the significance of South… 50 marks

2023 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

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Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2023

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Scope and relevance of Social and Cultural Anthropology 10 (b) Cultural impact of Iron Age 10 (c) Race and… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Discuss major species of Australopithecus discovered from South and East Africa. Describe the discovery, physical… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) What is hominization process ? Discuss the major trends in human evolution with the help of suitable examples and… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Discuss the role of marriage regulations in traditional societies in India for strengthening social solidarity. 20… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Polygenic Inheritance 10 (b) Prehistoric significance of Rakhigarhi 10 (c) Glottochronology 10 (d) Menopausal… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Critically discuss the controversies related to fieldwork of Bronislaw Malinowski and Margaret Mead. 20 (b) Discuss… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Describe various methods of qualitative data analysis. Highlight some popular computer softwares used in… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Critically examine Arjun Appadurai's conceptualization of global cultural economy. 20 (b) Describe the causes of… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) Material culture and archaeology (10 marks) (b) Interface between Purushartha and Ashrama (10 marks) (c) Jajmani… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) "Tribes are backward Hindus." Critically comment with reference to the contributions of G. S. Ghurye. (20 marks)… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) "Sanskritization is a culture-bound concept." Critically comment to assess the strength and limitation of this… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Elucidate the problems faced by Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups and the major challenges in the formulation… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Scheduled areas (10 marks) (b) Ramapithecus-Sivapithecus debate (10 marks) (c) Village as little republic (10… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Is annihilation of caste possible? Discuss the future of caste system in the light of various proactive measures… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Elucidate the shifting terrains of India's tribal policies in colonial and post-colonial periods. (20 marks) (b)… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Discuss the distribution of tribes in different geographical regions of India. Identify the distinct institutional… 50 marks

2022 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

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Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2022

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Debate between formalist and substantivist approaches (10 marks) (b) Mesolithic rock art in Indian subcontinent (10… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) "Anthropology is the systematic, objective and holistic study of human kind in all times and places". Elaborate the… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Discuss how the rules of descent contradict the principles of residence in matrilineal society, mentioning suitable… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Why Heath and Carter used anthropometric measurements instead of photographs of an individual to assess the… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Balanced and transient genetic polymorphism. (10 marks) (b) Genetic imprinting in human diseases. (10 marks) (c)… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Discuss the mechanism of social control in different kinds of political systems. (20 marks) (b) What is meant by… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Discuss the role of evolutionary forces in creating human diversity. (20 marks) (b) Write the historical… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Discuss the contemporary population problems in the light of various socio-cultural demographic theories. (20… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) Pit-dwellers of Kashmir (b) Varna and Buddhism (c) Dharma versus Religion (d) Safeguards for linguistic minorities… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Illustrate the contribution of Irawati Karve to Indian Anthropology. Make a special mention of her literary… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Make a critical appraisal of Megalithic tradition in India with special reference to North-East India. 20 (b)… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) "Globalisation, on one hand has provided opportunities and on the other hand thrown challenges to Indian villages."… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Regionalism as an opportunity and threat to national integration (b) Issues of tribal agricultural labourers (c)… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Discuss the objectives of Integrated Tribal Development Projects (ITDPs). How far have these objectives been… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Discuss the views of G. S. Ghurye and Verrier Elwin on the approach towards tribal populations. What are the… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Compare the nature of tribal movements between North-East and Central India. Briefly mention the current status of… 50 marks

2021 Mains

16 questions · 800 marks

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Paper I 8 Qs · 400 marksPaper II 8 Qs · 400 marks
All 16 questions from 2021

Paper I

  1. Q1 (a) Animism and Deep Ecology (10 marks) (b) Marriage Regulations and Alliance Theory (10 marks) (c) Historical… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) What are the physical and cultural characteristics of Homo erectus? Discuss its phylogenetic status. (20 marks) (b)… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) How do political organisations of simple societies establish power, authority and legitimacy? (20 marks) (b)… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Elaborate the scope of anthropology and elucidate its uniqueness in the field of other social sciences. (20 marks)… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Human adolescent growth spurt (10 marks) (b) The losses and gains of erect posture (10 marks) (c) Is race a valid… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) What is acclimatization? Discuss adaptive responses to high altitude and cold climate. (20 marks) (b) How are the… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Critically evaluate different types of social stratifications with suitable examples. (20 marks) (b) Discuss the… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Discuss various tools of data collection in conducting anthropological research. (20 marks) (b) Discuss the… 50 marks

Paper II

  1. Q1 (a) Purushartha and righteous living today (10 marks) (b) Relevance of tribe-caste continuum (10 marks) (c) Harappan… 50 marks
  2. Q2 (a) Critically discuss the origin of Indus Valley Civilization. Mention the evidences of its endogenous origin from the… 50 marks
  3. Q3 (a) Explain the impact of the concept of nature-man-spirit complex on sustainable use of natural resources with… 50 marks
  4. Q4 (a) Discuss the contributions of N. K. Bose in understanding tribal communities and their place in Indian civilization… 50 marks
  5. Q5 (a) Urbanization and tribal institutions (10 marks) (b) Ethnic media and social awareness (10 marks) (c) Cultural… 50 marks
  6. Q6 (a) Discuss the impact of the Forest Rights Act (2006) on the livelihood and culture of tribal people in India. (20… 50 marks
  7. Q7 (a) Explain the impact of successive Land Acquisition Acts on tribal social organization. (20 marks) (b) Discuss the… 50 marks
  8. Q8 (a) Examine how structural transformation in economy is affecting traditional social relationships in agrarian society… 50 marks

How Anthropology answers are marked

The shape the examiner expects, what earns the marks and the traps that lose them: the same card our rubrics for this subject are written from.

Answer skeleton

  1. Define
  2. Theory and school
  3. Ethnographic evidence
  4. Indian application

What earns the marks

  • Anchor each claim to a named school or fieldworker
  • Pair every theory with one ethnographic case
  • Draw kinship charts, tool and skull sketches
  • Paper II: bring Indian tribal context always
  • Connect biological and social strands where asked

What earns the extra mark

  • Labelled diagram
  • Named tribe or site
  • Recent tribal policy

Traps that cost marks

  • Sociology answers wearing anthropology labels
  • Unlabelled diagrams
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