UPSC Mains 2025 Anthropology Optional Paper I questions

27 questions from the Civil Services (Main) Examination 2025. Official UPSC paper (PDF) · All Anthropology Optional PYQs

1. Mendelian and non-Mendelian traits..

   10 marks

2. Theoretical significance of Purum kinship-system.

   10 marks

3. Osteodontokeratik culture and its makers.

   10 marks

4. Smell as a signal among non-human primates.

   10 marks

5. Culture and embodiment.

   10 marks

6. Discuss the Miocene hominoid remains and their significance in evolution.

   20 marks

7. Compare and contrast the symbolic approaches of Clifford Geertz and Victor Turner to understand culture.

   15 marks

8. How political economy is integrated with ecological and adaptability perspectives in bio-cultural anthropology?

   15 marks

9. How anthropologists assess the nutritional status of a community? Discuss the significance of intersectionality of ecology, culture, and social inequality in the study of nutritional anthropology.

   20 marks

10. Critically examine the drawbacks in assuming culture as an 'integrated-closed' system in understanding of contemporary society.

    15 marks

11. Differentiate between pedigree and genealogical analyses. Discuss the history and application of these methods in anthropological studies.

    15 marks

12. Anthropology provides a multidimensional understanding of human beings by bridging the gap between science and humanities. Elucidate.

    20 marks

13. Write a note on Mousterian tool tradition, Mousterian culture and its makers.

    15 marks

14. Critically examine James Frazer's theory of evolutionism. Elucidate the place of religion in modernity.

    15 marks

15. Evolutionary significance of menopause.

    10 marks

16. Fission track dating method and its applications.

    10 marks

17. Mitochondrial DNA and human evolution.

    10 marks

18. Foetal origin of adult diseases and contribution of David Barker.

    10 marks

19. What are genetic markers? Discuss their applications in understanding population variation, disease association and forensics.

    20 marks

20. "The agenda of biological anthropology became more scientific from the middle of the twentieth century." Justify.

    15 marks

21. Describe briefly the theoretical perspectives in linguistic anthropology to explain the relationship of culture, language and thought.

    15 marks

22. How the study of variation in forms of marriage led to rethinking on the concepts of social reproduction, kinship and family?

    20 marks

23. What are the major theories proposed in support of the origin of food production? How the change in subsistence economy brought revolution during this period?

24. Critically discuss the centrality of the African continent in the narrative of human evolution.

    15 marks

25. How the theories of postmodernism are relevant in promoting social justice and empowerment of marginalised communities?

    20 marks

26. Genome-wide Disease Association Studies (GWAS) advanced our understanding, of health and disease.' Discuss.

    15 marks

27. Examine the utility of human remains in forensic analysis. Discuss the facial reconstruction technique.

    15 marks