As UPSC aspirants, we watch many different videos. We usually come across many different exam plans. Furthermore, we complete our research in the very beginner’s stage. UPSC Aspirants are always finding ways to complete their syllabus smartly. Moreover, they are always aiming to stand out from others. Sometimes, these plans help them a lot. However, these strategies aren’t fit for all. Many aspirants also try to follow in the footsteps of toppers. Some also rely on motivational stories and articles to boost their prep. I am sure you must have watched a topper’s speech or any random strategy video. If you have watched more than one such video, we know you noticed a similarity. But let us make it more clear. Most of these sources ask you to choose the correct optional subject. In today’s article, we will discuss the Anthropology Optional Books for UPSC PDF.
About Anthroplogy Optional Subject Paper
This is one of the most trending subjects of UPSC. Many toppers have recommended this subject. Moreover, aspirants find this subject easier to decode. Optional subjects are usually in-depth. There are many study materials available for every optional subject. Hence, we can say that an average aspirant spends a lot of time on this part of the exam. Moreover, there are two optional subject papers. Hence, the weightage in the exam is high. You cannot just take your optional subject for granted. Many decide to select an optional subject with a past overlap with their degree major. For example, if you belong to the medical field, you might end up choosing a subject around this.
Engineering candidates have subjects around their field too. Hence, there is an optional subject for every personality. The list is quite inclusive of the type of aspirants who write the exam. Hence, there is room for technical as well as literary subjects in UPSC. While your university degree plays a major role in your prep, it isn’t the only factor to keep in mind. Sometimes, we discover that we do not like our university major. Hence, even if we have studied medical we might not want to continue with it. This is when the real challenge comes in. You decide to choose a subject different from your major.
Choose the right optional subject for UPSC Mains
The first factor is your interest level in the optional subject. Make sure you are interested and will continue to be interested. This is because you have to study a lot for this particular part of the exam. You can not choose a boring or tough subject. You have to stick to a subject that makes you happy. Moreover, you have limited study material i.e Anthropology Books for UPSC. This makes it a very attractive avenue for candidates with limited time.
You will find that technical subjects are very statistical. Moreover, they are theory-based as well as practical. Practical subjects are all fun for those who do not enjoy theory. However, the optional subject difficulty level is very high. Hence, you might need to join a coaching class to get assisted in the subjects. Moreover, there are literary subjects. These subjects are about a particular language. They are less popular among UPSC aspirants as compared to Anthropology. The following reasons make languages a tough optional subject. Firstly, you cannot easily find the study material for these subjects. Even if you find it, you will be quite confused about what to read and what not to read. The syllabus is vast than most other subjects. Moreover, you cannot start preparing for a language just because you have some basic understanding of it.
Anthropology Books for UPSC and Scope of the Subject
Hence, you have to be well-versed in the language to understand it clearly. The topics are lengthy and complex. Finding a coaching institute is difficult too. When you find the right material for these subjects, you have to assess them as per the syllabus. It will take time for you to completely adopt the subject. Remember, the topics will be different from what we regularly study in languages since school. This applies to every optional subject. Hence, this is where the best Anthropology Optional Books for UPSC come to light. Let us now discuss the scope of the Anthropology subject. Firstly, this subject is very much on the scientific side. Hence, mostly science graduates prefer this subject.
You can easily find the Best Anthropology Optional Books for UPSC. This will save your time in researching the right kind of study material. Trend analysis from the past years shows a very good result. Candidates with this optional subject have managed to score pretty well in their exams. Many toppers have also recommended several Anthropology Optional Subject Books for UPSC. The subject is very much easy for ancient history enthusiasts. Thus, it is a blend of history and science. Moreover, the subject is quite interesting as compared to other subjects. You get to learn a lot about the origin and evolution of the human race. This prevents the subject from being boring. Thus, the concepts are easily grasped by aspirants in a shorter period of time.
Best Anthropology Optional Subject Books for UPSC PDF
Let us now look at a list of the best Anthropology Optional Subject Books for UPSC PDF. There are many books available online. Out of the several books, we have listed the top resources for you. We can divide the list of anthropology books for UPSC PDF into two categories. Firstly, we will list the books for paper one. One of the most popular books for paper one is Physical Anthropology by P. Nath. It is widely famous among toppers. The book is available on various online platforms like amazon. You can purchase it for a price range of around INR 300 to INR 540. The price varies as per the edition. You can also find anthropology books for UPSC PDF online. This book will strengthen your basic understanding of the subject. Thus, it will help you in answer writing.
However, just theory is not enough if you aim to top the exam. The subject is very fluid. Hence, sometimes you will need diagrams and charts to explain your point. To help you with the part of the diagram, you can refer to the Anthropology Simplified – Vivek Bhasme. These books will help you to not just write an answer but beautify it. Thus, it will increase your chance to score better than your peers. Another useful resource for paper one is Anthropology – Ember, and Ember. Lastly, you can read from Braintree Study Material as well. These books will almost cover your paper one syllabus.
Anthropology Books for Paper Two
Now, let us looks at Anthropology Books for UPSC PDF for paper two. The first imp resource in this paper is Indian Anthropology -Nadeem Hasnain. Secondly, you can read Anthropology Simplified- Vivek Bhasme. Other than this, there are some topic-specific books as well. We know that the syllabus has topics around Tribal India. To cover these topics, you can refer to Tribal India – Nadeem Hasnain. You can also use The Tribal Culture of India – LP Vidyarthi. These books are more than enough to cover your paper two syllabi. Other than the basic best anthropology optional books for UPSC PDF, there are some other resources available for your prep. One such useful report is the XAXA report. This report covers the tribal topics as well. You can use previous years’ papers for practice. For previous years’ question papers: click here.
In addition to this, you can use the January 2014 edition of Yojana- Tribal and Marginalized Communities. Hence, not just books are enough for your paper two. You have to deeply focus and gather info using different sources like magazines and reports. These books for anthropology optional subjects will cover your syllabus in general for papers one and two. However, some of us are very curious to gather data apart from academic reading. For anyone who wants to expand their knowledge and understand the subject better, we are suggesting some general reading books on this subject. The subject is globally very trending. Hence, you will find many general reading books as well.
General Books for Reading
Here are some of the general reading books recommended internationally.
- The Blind Watchmaker- Richard Dawkins.
- The Gene- Siddhartha Mukherjee.
- The Selfish Gene- Richard Dawkins.
- Sapiens – Yuval Noah Harari.
Although these are very interesting books, they are completely optional for you to read. If you are someone who has plenty of time in hand, you can explore the subject in-depth with the help of these books. This will make the subject more fun and interesting for you while preparing for UPSC. All the Best. For more such book lists on optional subjects: click here.
FAQs
Paper V and Paper VI are very detailed in nature. You have to conduct a deep study on your optional subject. Each optional paper carries a total of 250 marks. Thus, it carries a weight of a total of 500 marks in the mains examination. Thus, the optional subject is more superior to other papers. You need to refer to at least two to three books for your optional subject in each paper.
There is no one best book for anthropology. However, when it comes to this subject, you have a limited choice of resources. Thus, firstly you need to check the language and simplicity of concepts inside the book. Moreover, you should verify the contents of the book and check it covers the syllabus.
Firstly, you need to briefly introduce your topics. Secondly, you should focus on answering all parts of the question in the body. Lastly, you need to conclude your topic. Moreover, you should always try to back your answer with the correct diagram or flow chart.
Editor’s Note | Anthropology Books for UPSC
Here we will conclude our article. In today’s article, we talked about the best anthropology optional subject books for UPSC PDF. Thus, we divided the books for anthropology optional into three categories. Firstly, we talked about optional paper one books. Then, we listed the books for optional paper two. Moreover, we also gave reference of some useful material to study different tribes. Lastly, we listed some generic useful books to better understand the subject. We hope that these books help you ace the exam with a good score. All the Best.
