IGNOU| INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY (BANC - 101)| SOLVED PAPER – (DEC - 2022)| (BSCANH)| ENGLISH MEDIUM
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN
ANTHROPOLOGY (BSCANH)
Term-End Examination
December - 2022
BANC-101
INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
Time: 3 Hours
Maximum Marks: 100
Note: There are three Sections A, B and C. Attempt
any two questions each from Sections A and B. Section C is compulsory. The word
limit for 20 marks is 400 words and for 10 marks it is 200 words.
Section-A
1. Define Anthropology. Discuss the scope of biological anthropology. 20
Ans:- Anthropology is the scientific study of
humanity, including human behavior, biology, cultures, societies, and
linguistics. It studies humans both in the present and the past, including past
human species.
Anthropology is
holistic, meaning it combines the biological, cultural, and environmental to
understand humans.
It has four
subdisciplines: cultural, linguistic, archaeological and biological.
Anthropology
has three main goals:-
(i) To provide
a deeper understanding of man both in the past and present
(ii) To
analyze and organize the knowledge gained and make it accessible
(iii) To
engage in practical application of anthropology in various areas of
contemporary human behaviour.
For example,
anthropologists look at how different groups of people obtain food, prepare it,
and share it. They look at the meaning of different food traditions, such as
what makes a dish appropriate for a particular occasion.
Biological
anthropology is the study of human biological diversity and evolution. It
includes both social sciences and biological sciences. The two primary concepts
that biological anthropologists work with are human evolution and human
biosocial variation.
Some areas of
biological anthropology include:-
(i) Human
evolution: How humans evolved from their primitive ancestors over millions
of years
(ii) Human
genetics: The genetic structure of human populations to investigate the
patterns of inheritance, variation and distribution of genetic traits.
(iii) Human
variability: the physical form of humans, including bones, muscles and
organs, and how it functions to allow survival and reproduction
(iv) Human
adaptation to environmental stresses: How humans adapt to their changing
environment
(v)
Comparative perspective on human exceptionalism: comparing our species with
other living primates
Biological anthropologists
also study nonhuman primates to learn what we have in common and how we differ.
Biological
anthropology deals with the evolution of humans, their variability, and
adaptation to environmental stresses. Using an evolutionary perspective, we examine
not only the physical form of humans – bones, muscles, and organs – but also
how it functions to allow survival and reproduction.
2. Critically discuss Darwinism. 20
Ans:- Charles Darwin's theory of evolution states
that organisms with traits that promote survival and reproduction will leave
more offspring than their peers, increasing the frequency of traits across
generations. This mechanism is called natural selection.
Darwin's
theory had three main components:-
(i) Variation
among members of a species occurs randomly
(ii) Traits of
a person can be inherited by his children
(iii) The
struggle for existence will allow only those with favorable traits to survive
Darwin's theory
was popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Evolution was not
recognized as a legitimate scientific theory until Charles Darwin released his
book On the Origin of Species.
According to
Darwin's theory of natural selection, in the struggle for existence, only those
members will be selected by nature that have useful variations (traits more
suitable for the environment). Selected fit individuals will reproduce more and
this is called natural selection. Survival of the fittest is the end result of
nature's ability to adapt and select.
Darwin's theory
was reasonable and well documented. But scientists like Sir Richard Owen and
Adam Sedgwick strongly criticized it.
The main
criticisms of Darwinism were:-
(i) Darwinism
explained the survival of the fittest, but not the emergence of the fittest.
(ii) Natural
selection did not explain the evolution of terrestrial animals from aquatic
forms.
(iii) It did
not explain the effects of use and misuse of organs and the presence of
residual organs. Example: Presence of vermiform appendix.
(iv) Darwinism
did not distinguish between somatic and reproductive variations and considered
all variations to be hereditary.
(v) It did not
mention the extinction of those organisms which had many specialized organs.
Example: Extinction of the mammoth.
Darwin proposed
that species could change over time, new species came from pre-existing
species, and all species had a common ancestor. In this model, each species has
its own unique set of hereditary (genetic) differences from the common
ancestor, which accumulate gradually over a very long period of time.
3. What do you understand by UNESCO Statement on Race
1951? 20
Ans:- The UNESCO Statement on Race in 1951 declared
that Homo sapiens is one species. The statement also said that there is no pure
human race and that every human population presents wide diversity. The
statement also emphasized that biological discrimination of races does not
exist.
The statement
defines "race" as "a group of human beings with well-developed
and predominantly hereditary physical differences from other groups." The
statement also notes that anthropologists use the term "race"
relatively narrowly, referring to three major divisions: Mongoloid, Negroid,
and Caucasoid.
The statement
also said that "race" evolved as a worldview, a set of prejudices
that distort our views of human differences and group behavior. The statement
also said that racial beliefs create myths about diversity in the human species
and the abilities and behavior of people divided into "racial"
categories.
In July 1950,
UNESCO published a statement titled "The Race Question". The
statement described "racial" discrimination and "racial"
hatred as unscientific and false, as well as ugly and inhumane. It also noted
the relatively narrow use of the term "race" by anthropologists,
referring to the current use of three major divisions: Mongoloid, Negroid, and
Caucasoid.
The scientific
experts who participated in drafting the first UNESCO statement on race played
an important role in colonial, post-colonial, and international projects
designed to modernize, assimilate, and improve so-called backward communities.
The 1951
UNESCO statement on race included the following points:-
(i) Homo
Sapiens: Homo Sapiens is a species.
(ii) Race:
The term “race” should be used for groups of people who have well-developed and
mainly hereditary physical differences from other groups.
(iii)
Biological discrimination: There is no evidence that race mixing produces
harmful results from the biological point of view.
(iv)
Historical, economic, political, social and cultural factors: The apparent
differences between populations living in different geographical regions of the
world should be attributed to the interaction of these factors rather than to
biological factors.
(v) Racism:
Racism completely falsifies the knowledge of human biology.
(vi) Biological
capabilities: The people of the world today have the same biological
capabilities to achieve any level of civilization.
(vii)
Conflict: To understand race conflict, we fundamentally need to understand
conflict, not race.
The final version
of the statement was formally issued on July 18, 1950, and was titled "The
Race Question".
4. Write short notes on any two of the following: 10+10
(a) Relationship
of Biological Anthropology with Biomedical Research
(b) Extinction
(c) Socio-biology
(d) Caucasoid
[COMING SOON]
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