Note: On Anthropology, there are a total of three blog posts, of which this is the second one. The first one primarily talks about my book list and the basic approach. This is the second article among the series and it deals with topic wise detailed plan for Paper I. The third article talks about the detailed plan for Paper II.
Our Chimp cousin contemplating the origin of life, universe and the cosmos.
Syllabus and the Strategy
1.1 to 1.3 – Meaning, Scope; Relationship; Branches
- Core material: Braintree
- Value Addition: Ember & Ember
1.4 – Human Evolution
- Core material: P. Nath
- Value Addition: Ember & Ember
- For answer structure and diagrams, refer Anthropology Simplified
- Get a solid grasp of evolution and its concepts such as: Genetic recombination, directional selection, Adaptive radiation, Darwinism, Parallelism, Neo-Darwinism etc (Given well in Ember. Use internet as well)
- Innovate in your answers. Ex: You can depict genetic recombination through a diagram and adaptive radiation through a flowchart. Quote examples for topics like adaptive radiation.
1.5 – Primates
- Primary Source: P. Nath
- For better diagrams/sketches – Use Ember & Ember, Google, Anthropology Simplified and notes of Kirthi (AIR-14, CSE 2015) published in this Insights article.
- Go through previous years question papers and prepare notes for most important topics. It’s static and highly scoring
- Must draw diagrams with proper labelling. For example, when you draw skulls of ape and human, you should comparatively point out changes in parts such as Zygomatic arch, Foramen magnum, Sagittal crest etc. Practise diagrams to show evolutionary changes not just in the skull but also foot, spinal cord, pelvis, dentition etc
- Dedicate adequate time to practise neat drawings. Your aim must be to attempt as many questions as you can from topics like these and max out your scores.
1.6 – Fossils et al
- Primary Source: P. Nath
- Use Ember & Ember and Anthropology Simplified for value addition and diagrams
- Practise diagrams for: Australopithecus, Homo Erectus, Rhodesian man, Neanderthal man, Cro Magnon, Grimaldi, Chancelade
- Prepare thoroughly on each and every fossil mentioned in the syllabus.
- Focus on:
- Phylogenetic Status (i.e. its place in the evolution tree, who are its ancestors/successors, etc.)
- Characteristics (physical, cultural aspects, time-span of the fossil)
- Geographical distribution
- Who discovered the first fossil, where & when
- Distribution of the fossil in other parts of the world
- Draw map depicting site names
1.7 – The biological basis of life
- I prepared this unit entirely from the Khan academy YouTube channel
- Refer to PDF Slides for diagrams and value addition
- DNA replication, translation, protein synthesis must be illustrated with diagrams
- Highly scoring
1.8 (1) – Dating methods, etc.
- Ember & Ember
1.8 (2) Cultural Evolution
- I skipped this subtopic for lack of time.
2.1 & 2.2 – Nature of Culture and Society, etc.
- Primary Source: BrainTree
- Value addition: Ember and Ember
2.3, 2.4, 2.5; 3, 4 and 5 – Marriage, Family, Kinship, Economic Organisation, Political Organisation, Religion
- Most important chapters of Socio-Cultural Anthro.
- Primary Sources: Braintree
- Use Ember & Ember for value addition, especially for world tribe examples. Note down all of them in an A4 sheet and memorise.
- For all the terms (marriage, religion, magic etc), definitions must be a scholarly one. Cram word to word and replicate in your paper.
- Always include names of relevant Anthropologist’s name, publication year, name and the tribe on which the study was done. Eg: If you talk about Kula Ring, your answer will be incomplete without quoting Malinowski and his work on Trobriand Islanders. Same goes with Totemism and Durkheim.
- Also, your answer will stand out only when you quote many examples. Just quoting Indian tribe examples won’t be enough. For instance, if you are explaining Balanced Reciprocity, you must quote at least a couple of world tribes (Eg: trade between !Kung and Tswana Buntu) that practice it and the significance of such a system in the tribe. Source these examples from Ember and the internet.
- Diagrams and schematics for marriage, kinship, descent are absolutely crucial. Ember & Ember has some good diagrams (Eg: Kula ring exchange map) and tables. Practise.
- For economic anthropology, memorise examples such as that of potlatch: Chinook of Northern Pacific, Kwakiutl of British Columbia. Also mug up examples for tribes for each of fishing/pastoral/horticulture etc. More the examples, better it is. Also practice rough diagrams of tools used by these communities.
- For political organisation chapter, source examples from Ember and Ember. As I had mentioned, quote anthropologists, their works and tribe’s names.
- Religion: Same approach as above
6 – Anthropological Theories
- Primary Source: Ember & Ember
- Additional Details: University of Alabama’s website, Braintree
- Prepare short notes on each theory. Expand on:
- Why it emerged?
- Main thinkers and their major works
- Tribes on which the study was done
- Criticism
- Balanced conclusion
- This being a very important chapter, you can go a little deep into each theory and each thinker. You can read on the internet about the most important work of each anthropologist mentioned in the syllabus. For example, if you read a little deeper about Clifford Geertz and his work, you will understand how he described the Balinese cockfight and its relationship to the society at large. These will help you write great answers.
- The amount of time you invest in this chapter will never go waste. Questions definitely come from this chapter and if you write an in-depth answer, it’s a great chance to outshine your competition.
7 – Culture, Language etc
- Braintree
- Ember & Ember
- Anthropology Simplified
8 – Research Methods in Anthro
- Primary Source: Braintree
- Easy and scoring topic
- Always mention the name of prominent anthropologist associated with a particular method and their works. E.g. Participant-Observation method used by Malinowski for his study on Trobriand Islanders, Genealogical Method by W.H. Rivers, etc.
9.1 to 9.4 – Human Genetics, et al
- Primary Source: P. Nath.
- PDF material for value addition
- Anthropology Simplified for diagrams
- Use internet extensively to know about technical terms such as Genetic load, genetic drift. Your clarity of concepts must be impeccable.
- Go through previous years questions from this chapter and prepare notes for all of them
- Value addition: You can write about latest advances in Genetics such as Epigenome, methylation and its impact on Gene expression etc to make your answers more contemporary. You can get this content from newspapers and the internet.
9.5 – Race and Racism
- Primary Source: P. Nath
- Mug up physical characteristics of major races of the world
9.6 – Genetic Markers, Physiological characteristics etc
- P. Nath
9.7 – Ecological Anthro
- Core material: P. Nath
- You can value add from Ember and Ember: Note down adaptation and acclimatization examples
9.8 – Epidemiological Anthropology
- I prepared this topic from the PDF material and Anthropology Simplified
10 – Growth and Development
- Primary Source: P. Nath
- Prepare short notes for each topic
- Graphs and examples are indispensible. They will enrich your answers.
11.1 to 11.3
- P. Nath
- Practise graphs and diagrams (Eg: Demographic Transition Theory etc)
- You may use internet to enrich the content. Prepare short notes.
12 – Applications of Anthropology
- Primary Source: P. Nath
- Value Addition: Anthropology Simplified, Internet, PDF material
- Very important topic of Paper I.
- Practise diagrams wherever appropriate Eg: in DNA technology, Forensic Anthropology, serogenetics and cytogenetics etc
- Scour the internet to understand about the latest research and developments in various fields wherein Anthropology is being applied for practical purpose. This is way you make your answers stand out from the rest.
My best wishes.
Note: My book, Fundamentals of Essay and Answer Writing is an Amazon bestseller. Since its release, the book helped countless candidates master the art of crafting exceptional essays and answers and elevate their performance in the UPSC Mains Exam. You can know about the book here.
Hello sir, you are the most down to earth person I have ever seen, you have some kind of charm in your personality .I want to ask how you manage to be this humble even after achieving this much. Your personality is so pure , I can listen to your interviews for 24×7.
Thank you for guidance.
sir, did you take any coaching for anthropology optional?
No, Sir did not take any coaching. He learnt everything by Himself on his own strategy.
Sir please tell where is topic Paper – 1,chapter 6 Anthropological Theories in Ember and Ember book which you wrote as a primary source.
Sir, I can’t find anthropological theories in Ember & Ember. Will you or anyone help me out?
Hello sir,
I am a beginner student of anthropology..this post is really helpful for my initial studies..thank you so much for all your guidance and please also guide regarding paper2 syllabus..I am waiting for paper2 guidelines.
Happy New Year Sir??
He already made a post on paper 2.In this starting of this post he has given the link to third article which is on paper 2.
Sir how can we know, particular topics has to be covered Compulsorily….
Sir will your book be available as soft copy or hard copy?
Respected sir, am looking forward to clear upsc with anthropology as my optional. am seeking guidance from your blog and also bought your book to get a clear idea to write answers through your guidance. But unfortunately covering the topics as per the syllabus according to the mentioned books i found it very difficult to find certain topics which are mentioned in the syllabus in the mentioned book by you. for eg: while covering the topic human evolution from p nath i found it very difficult to search and find which topics to read and which to avoid as per the syllabus, i can’t find topics such as parallelism in p nath but they were given in Braintree material, and while looking for other topics it took too much time and am worried wheather i miss any important topics which should be read. sir please find some time to guide me, i believe without proper guidence i will stood in front of nothing kindly respond sir.
refer past paper topic wise pdf to et idea of topics upsc asked.you will find pdf
on internet
thanks a lot
Sir, for anthropological theories topic you have mentioned ember and ember to be your primary source material .It would be a great help if you mention which particular ember and ember book as the one i have does not seem to contain this specific chapter.
Thank you in advance.
sir anthropology paper 1 is easy or 2??
Thanks a lot Brother. I have chosen Anthropology as optional and this is helping me a lot.
Thanks a lot! I was searching for the booklist for Anthropology optional for the last 5-6 days. I didn’t like the ones I got. Thank you so much for giving such a detailed plan. Especially liked the part about the books we can read just to delve deeper. I am currently reading Sapiens(what a coincidence)! This is of immense help,Sir.
Sir can u specify which Anthropology book by Ember and Ember have details about Anthropological theories? In 12th edition book the content doesn’t have this topic. If anyone can help it would be of great help. Thanks
all my queries have been covered just by reading all the above comments. And regarding your book fundamentals of essay and answer writing………….now i realize that it is the best investment i’ve ever made.thank you for helping all of us
Sir u not refer the vaid sir notes? and which is better among the vaid sir notes and braintree
Pdf material is not opening sir
Could you please specify which Anthropology book by Ember and Ember have details about Anthropological theories? In 14th edition book the content doesn’t have this topic. If anyone can help it would be of great help. Thanks
Hi, hope you’re doing well. Is it alright to study socio-cultural anthropology entirely from ember and ember? I’ve read these chapters from ember and ember and am quite comfortable with the book. Is it imperative to go through Braintree material as well?
Sir,what are your thoughts on Vaid sir’s material.Did you refer to them.
Hi boss still I’m in dilama abt anthropology I did not get any material till now plz provide any pdf in ur blog spot plz
Please confirm which edition of Ember and Ember we have to follow??
Hello sir
Can you post your anthropology answers for reference
Thank you
Give me some tips on how to write intro and could
Sir i have no words ….MEANS i don’t understand how SHOULD I THANK YOU..IT’S really beyond my imagination….the way u elobrate ….sir hats off TO YOUR effort..thanks a lot❤
Hii sir,
This article is really very helpful, sir can you please tell me when to start reading newspaper if i am preparing for 2025
You should read newspaper from now onwards only….as it will you provide you analytical skill, enhance your vocab just the note making should bevstart from 1 year before prelims and mains….either online or offline depends upon you…
Sir I read all your blogs and you cleared almost every query i had. Still there is one doubt about current affairs and newspaper reading How can i make notes from it plz share your own how you made it… thanks !!
Tq so much sir for sharing this precious info to us.
Sir, it might sound a bit unprofessional but with all due respect, I love you for creating this blog, it literally has everything one needs to ace this subject. Thank you so very much!!
Is this strategy relevant for UPSC CSE 2022? If not, what changes should I make?
Sir…I’m beginner. And I thoroughly read some starting basic topics once in ember and ember book.. but I confuse? how to start a preparation because while we taking a syllabus which point’s of syllabus we will start first.. is it depend one point to another point.. or could i go lik chronologically which given in syllabus.. plz guide me sir 😶😑