Anthropology 2025 Paper I 50 marks Discuss

Q2

(a) Discuss the Miocene hominoid remains and their significance in evolution. (20 marks) (b) Compare and contrast the symbolic approaches of Clifford Geertz and Victor Turner to understand culture. (15 marks) (c) How political economy is integrated with ecological and adaptability perspectives in bio-cultural anthropology? (15 marks)

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

(a) उद्विकास में मध्य नूतन कालीन होमिनोइड अवशेषों तथा उनके महत्व की विवेचना कीजिए । (20 अंक) (b) संस्कृति को समझने में क्लीफोर्ड गीर्ट्ज तथा विक्टर टर्नर के प्रतीकात्मक दृष्टिकोणों की तुलना तथा भेद स्पष्ट कीजिए । (15 अंक) (c) जैव-सांस्कृतिक नृविज्ञान में राजनीतिक अर्थव्यवस्था को पारिस्थितिकी एवं अनुकूलनशीलता से कैसे एकीकृत किया जाता है ? (15 अंक)

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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' requires a comprehensive, analytical treatment with balanced coverage across all three sub-parts. Allocate approximately 40% of word budget to part (a) given its 20 marks, and roughly 30% each to parts (b) and (c). Structure: brief integrated introduction → systematic treatment of (a) Miocene fossils with evolutionary significance, (b) comparative symbolic anthropology, and (c) political economy integration → synthesizing conclusion on anthropology's interdisciplinary nature.

Key points expected

  • Part (a): Major Miocene hominoid sites (Ramapithecus/Sivapithecus from Siwaliks, Proconsul from East Africa, Dryopithecus from Europe) with their morphological features and dating
  • Part (a): Significance of Miocene hominoids in understanding ape-human divergence, dental evidence for hominid status, and current reassessment of Ramapithecus as ancestral orangutan
  • Part (b): Geertz's 'thick description,' webs of significance, interpretive anthropology, and culture as text; contrast with Turner's processual, performative approach focusing on social drama, liminality, and symbols as generating social action
  • Part (b): Key distinctions—Geertz's static, semiotic, literary model versus Turner's dynamic, ritual-centered, conflict-resolution framework; both reject structural-functionalism but differ on agency
  • Part (c): Political economy perspective (Wolf, Mintz) emphasizing colonialism, capitalism, and power structures shaping human biology and ecology
  • Part (c): Integration with ecological/adaptability approaches: critical medical anthropology (Singer), political ecology of health, and how economic forces constrain biological adaptation (e.g., nutritional transitions, disease patterns)
  • Part (c): Bio-cultural synthesis showing how political-economic forces become embodied through stress, growth patterns, and epidemiological profiles—Indian examples like Green Revolution impacts on rural health

Evaluation rubric

DimensionWeightMax marksExcellentAveragePoor
Concept correctness20%10Demonstrates precise knowledge: for (a) correctly identifies Sivapithecus indicus, Kenyapithecus, and current consensus on hominoid phylogeny; for (b) accurately distinguishes Geertz's 'culture as text' from Turner's 'social drama'; for (c) correctly defines political economy in anthropology and its bio-cultural mechanismsShows basic familiarity with key terms but contains errors—e.g., outdated treatment of Ramapithecus as direct human ancestor, conflates Geertz and Turner as similar interpretivists, or vague on political economy mechanismsMajor factual errors: misidentifies Miocene fossils, confuses symbolic anthropology with symbolic interactionism, or treats political economy as mere economics without anthropological critique
Theoretical framing20%10For (a) situates finds within Simpson's vs. current cladistic classifications; for (b) locates both scholars within interpretive turn, references Geertz's 'Notes on the Balinese Cockfight' and Turner's 'Forest of Symbols'; for (c) cites Wolf's 'Europe and the People Without History' and critical medical anthropology frameworkMentions theoretical contexts superficially—names schools without elaboration, cites one or two works correctly but misses intellectual genealogy, or treats parts as disconnected theoretical exercisesAbsent or incorrect theoretical framing: no mention of interpretive anthropology's break with structural-functionalism, or confuses political economy with cultural ecology (Steward) without distinction
Ethnographic / Indian examples20%10For (a) references Siwalik fossils' Indian significance; for (b) applies Geertz/Turner to Indian ethnography (e.g., caste rituals, pilgrimage); for (c) uses Indian cases—Green Revolution health impacts, industrial worker stress studies, or tribal displacement and nutritional stress (e.g., Kerala or Bastar studies)Includes some relevant examples but unevenly—strong on (a) with Siwaliks but weak on (b)-(c), or uses generic global examples (Ndembu for Turner) without Indian application where possibleLacks substantive examples entirely, or uses inappropriate/irrelevant cases; misses opportunity to cite Indian paleoanthropological contributions or contemporary bio-cultural studies
Comparative analysis20%10For (b) systematically compares Geertz-Turner on multiple axes (method, epistemology, view of symbols, agency); for (c) contrasts political economy with pure cultural ecology and pure biological determinism; shows how (a)-(c) collectively demonstrate anthropology's integrative scope across time scalesAttempts comparison in (b) but superficial—lists similarities/differences without analytical depth; treats (a), (b), (c) as isolated compartments without cross-referencingNo comparative structure in (b)—merely describes two scholars separately; or confuses rather than compares; fails to recognize that (c) synthesizes material from (a) and (b)'s evolutionary and symbolic concerns
Conclusion & applied angle20%10Synthesizes all three parts into coherent statement on anthropology's unique contribution—integrating deep time (Miocene), meaning-making (symbolic), and structural power (political economy); suggests applied relevance for contemporary policy (e.g., health equity, conservation, indigenous rights)Brief summary restating main points without synthesis; or strong on one part but neglects others; applied angle generic or absentMissing or severely underdeveloped conclusion; no applied dimension; or introduces new unrelated content; ends abruptly without demonstrating how four-field anthropology coheres

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