Acing the optional: Part 3

 

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
― Aristotle

    While preparing for the optional paper, one might face a plethora of questions. This blog aims to answer them and help you conquer the subject. This is the third part of the Optional Blog series and specifically deals with Paper 2 strategy of Anthropology paper.

My story:

    The real struggle with Paper 2 of Anthropology laid in creating a distinction between a GS answer and an Optional answer. Like most humanities subject, Paper 2 dealt with the Indian perspective and hence had tribal problems and administration as a course matter. But since the optional subject requires a more academic outlook, it became vital to supplement my knowledge with deeper intellectual understanding .

    After going through my Coaching classes in Sosin Anthropology, I began thorough reading of Advanced books(mentioned later). I saw various documentaries on tribes of India and used newspaper as my daily source of tracking any development in tribal societies.

    In the final days before the paper, I made crisp notes of statistics and case studies of tribes from across the country to bolster my answer writing. On opinion based issues such as 'Future of Caste', I collected opinions of multiple authors and anthropologists, to quote in my answers and make them more academic. Multiple revisions and consistent answer writing helped me score 140 marks in the paper.( I am attaching my test paper for reference.)

My sources:

1. Advanced books :
1. Nadeem Hasnain- Tribal India and Indian Anthropology ( could be read cover to cover)
2. P. Nath- Selective portions for Phylogenetic classifications of tribes, diseases in tribes, races in Indian tribes
3.  Brain Tree Material- for content enhancement
2. Additional Sources:
1. Akshat Jain's Anthropology Demystified for better answer writing
2. Previous Years Question Papers of past 20 years
3. Web Sources :
1. Main Bhi Bharat videos on YouTube
2. Success stories of TRIFED
3. Vikaspedia website
4. Ministry of Tribal Affairs website

Maximising scores in Anthropology Paper 2- acting EAST:

1. Empathy: An answer in Anthropology demands an empathetic view towards tribes. The primary difference in a GS vs Anthro answer is this- your view must stand as an "anthropologist". For eg., any tribal cultural practice  must be dealt with a sense of respect. Your views on Tribal Administration must include their concerns and ensure preservation of their ethnic identity.
2. Anthropologists: The opinions and studies of Indian Anthropologists must form the crux of your answers. Quote them in topics of Caste, Tribal Administration and Development. For eg., L.P. Vidyarthi's Nature-Man-Spirit Complex often comes as a solution to a variety of problems in Tribal Administration. 
3. Statistics: To make your answers stand out, using good amount of statistics is beneficial. For eg., consider a question on tribal health. A report of UNICEF quotes that 40% of tribal children in India are stunted. Such readily available statistics enhance the effectiveness of your answer.
4. Tribes: You MUST be well aware of the humongous diversity Indian tribes entail, and understand the challenges they face due to declining cultural practices, assimilation and displacement. Making ethnographs of Indian tribes containing information about their religion, organisation level, type of kinship, subsistence etc. is also beneficial.

Common Questions:

• Timeline: Ideally 1 month for Anthropology paper 2 is sufficient, if you devote 4-5 hours to the subject daily.
• Note making: I had 3 separate notes for Paper 2. One was chapter wise, with adequate space left for value addition. The second contained statistics, which I later added to the chapter wise notes accordingly. The third was case studies and ethnographs of some important tribes of India to quote in answers.( for eg., Gonds, Bhils, Nagas etc.)
• Answer Writing: I recommend a lot of answer writing for Paper 2. This would give you a fair idea to establish the distinction between a GS and an optional answer.

   

     Keeping up with the tradition of quoting shows, our very own Ted Lasso once said, "Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn’t it? If you’re comfortable while you’re doing it, probably doing it wrong." Thus, to summarise, this subject might test your patience and on those days,  you need to take it as a challenge. Break out of your comfort and strive for excellence. Success awaits you!