Anthropology 2022 Paper I 50 marks Discuss

Q6

(a) Discuss the mechanism of social control in different kinds of political systems. (20 marks) (b) What is meant by health ? Is the burden of life style diseases on the rise ? Justify your answer with suitable examples. (15 marks) (c) Critically evaluate the reasons of reduction in age at menarche in human females over the successive generations. (15 marks)

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

(a) विभिन्न प्रकार की राजनीतिक व्यवस्थाओं में सामाजिक नियंत्रण की क्रियाविधियों की विवेचना कीजिए । (20) (b) स्वास्थ्य से क्या तात्पर्य है ? क्या जीवनशैली से जुड़ी बीमारियों का बोझ बढ़ रहा है ? उपयुक्त उदाहरणों के साथ अपने उत्तर की पुष्टि कीजिए । (15) (c) उत्तरोत्तर पीढ़ियों में मानव महिलाओं में रजोधर्म आयु में गिरावट के कारणों का समालोचनात्मक मूल्यांकन कीजिए । (15)

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Directive word: Discuss

This question asks you to discuss. The directive word signals the depth of analysis expected, the structure of your answer, and the weight of evidence you must bring.

See our UPSC directive words guide for a full breakdown of how to respond to each command word.

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

The directive 'discuss' for part (a) requires critical examination with multiple perspectives, while parts (b) and (c) demand explanation and critical evaluation respectively. Allocate approximately 40% of word budget (~400 words) to part (a) given its 20 marks weightage, and roughly 30% each (~300 words) to parts (b) and (c). Structure with a brief integrated introduction, separate well-demarcated sections for each sub-part with clear headings, and a synthesizing conclusion that connects social control, health transitions, and biological changes as interconnected dimensions of anthropological inquiry.

Key points expected

  • Part (a): Mechanisms of social control in band societies (egalitarian, informal sanctions like gossip, ostracism), tribal societies (age-grade systems, ritual authority, big man/chief systems), chiefdoms (redistribution, hereditary authority, ritual sanctions), and state systems (codified laws, judiciary, police, ideological apparatus)
  • Part (a): Distinction between internalized control (shame, guilt) and externalized control (punishment, surveillance) across political systems, with reference to E.A. Hoebel's law-ways and Radcliffe-Brown's sanction theory
  • Part (b): WHO definition of health as complete physical, mental and social well-being; critique of biomedical vs. holistic anthropological perspectives; rising burden of lifestyle diseases (NCDs) with Indian data (NFHS-5, ICMR-NCDIR studies)
  • Part (b): Examples of diabetes, CVD, obesity in urban India (Delhi, Mumbai), rural transition, demographic-epidemiological transition model, and socio-cultural factors (dietary changes, sedentarism, stress)
  • Part (c): Secular trend in menarche timing (from ~16-17 years in 19th century to ~12-13 years today); biological factors (improved nutrition, reduced disease load, body fat hypothesis/Frisch-Revelle hypothesis)
  • Part (c): Environmental endocrine disruptors (BPA, phthalates), psychosocial stress, father absence hypothesis (Belsky-Draper), and critical evaluation of genetic vs. environmental determinism with Indian studies (e.g., ICMR studies on adolescent health)

Evaluation rubric

DimensionWeightMax marksExcellentAveragePoor
Concept correctness20%10Precise definitions across all parts: accurately distinguishes social control mechanisms by political type (a); captures WHO health definition and correctly identifies lifestyle disease trends with current statistics (b); explains secular trend, Frisch hypothesis, and endocrine disruption with scientific accuracy (c)Generally correct definitions but some conflation (e.g., confuses bands with tribes, or oversimplifies health definition); basic awareness of lifestyle diseases but dated or incomplete data; mentions menarche decline but with muddled causal explanationsMajor conceptual errors (e.g., treats all political systems identically, equates health with absence of disease only, or attributes menarche solely to genetics); factually incorrect statements about disease burden or developmental biology
Theoretical framing20%10Deploys Radcliffe-Brown on social sanctions, Service/Fried on political evolution, Omran's epidemiological transition, and life history theory; for (c) engages with evolutionary developmental biology and critiques of developmental plasticityMentions some theorists (e.g., Radcliffe-Brown, Omran) but superficially; limited engagement with theoretical debates; basic application of life history theory without nuanceAbsent or incorrect theory; misattributes concepts (e.g., confuses Durkheim with others); no theoretical framework for biological changes in (c)
Ethnographic / Indian examples20%10Rich ethnographic grounding: for (a) cites Nuer (Evans-Pritchard), Konyak Naga (Fürer-Haimendorf), or Indian village studies (Srinivas); for (b) uses ICMR-NCDIR, NFHS-5 data, and specific Indian urban/rural contrasts; for (c) references Indian cohort studies (e.g., Delhi, Pune) or ICMR adolescent health surveysSome Indian examples but generic (e.g., only 'tribes in India' without specificity); basic disease examples without data; mentions Indian context for menarche but without study referencesNo Indian examples; relies entirely on Western ethnography or hypothetical cases; completely misses opportunity to ground (b) and (c) in Indian public health data
Comparative analysis20%10Systematic comparison across political systems in (a) using explicit criteria (scale, centralization, sanction types); for (b) compares lifestyle disease burden across SES, rural-urban, and generational cohorts; for (c) weighs multiple competing explanations (nutrition vs. EDCs vs. psychosocial) with evidence-based comparisonSome comparative intent but implicit or poorly structured; basic rural-urban comparison in (b); lists causes in (c) without systematic evaluationNo comparative structure; treats each element in isolation; fails to critically evaluate competing explanations in (c) or to distinguish political systems meaningfully in (a)
Conclusion & applied angle20%10Synthesizes three sub-parts by showing how political-economic transformations (state formation, globalization) connect to health transitions and biological changes; offers policy insights (health governance, NCD prevention, adolescent health programs) with anthropological sensitivity to cultural contextSeparate conclusions for each part without integration; generic policy recommendations without anthropological nuance; misses opportunity to connect biological and social dimensionsAbsent, abrupt, or purely summary conclusion; no applied or policy dimension; fails to demonstrate how anthropology integrates biological and sociocultural analysis

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