Kerala Plus Two Anthropology (DHSE) study plan

Define anthropology and distinguish its four main branches, writing a one-line scope statement for each

Sequence the major hominin taxa from Sahelanthropus to Homo sapiens on a timeline with approximate dates

Explain the difference between biological and cultural evolution using two concrete fossil or archaeological examples

Identify the key skeletal indicators of bipedalism and match each to a hominin genus

Summarise the Out-of-Africa versus multiregional debate in your own words without notes

Describe the mechanisms of evolution (mutation, gene flow, genetic drift, natural selection) and give an anthropological example of each

Compare hominin tool traditions (Oldowan, Acheulean, Mousterian, Upper Palaeolithic) by technology and associated species

Explain how human variation is clinal rather than typological, using at least two trait examples such as skin colour and lactase persistence

Evaluate the biological race concept and state why anthropologists reject typological race categories

Classify human adaptations (Bergmann's and Allen's rules, acclimatisation, genetic adaptation) with one population example each

Order the prehistoric cultural stages (Palaeolithic to Iron Age) and list the defining material markers of each

Interpret a lithic assemblage: distinguish core, flake, blade, and microlith and infer the reduction strategy

Explain dating methods (radiocarbon, potassium-argon, thermoluminescence) and state the range and limits of each

Compare prosimians, monkeys, and apes on locomotion, dentition, brain size, and social organisation

Explain what primate field studies (e.g. chimpanzee tool use, grooming, dominance) contribute to understanding human behaviour

Define kinship terminology systems (Eskimo, Hawaiian, Iroquois, Omaha, Crow, Sudanese) and match each to a descent rule

Distinguish patrilineal, matrilineal, bilateral, and double descent with a named ethnographic example for each

Compare marriage forms (monogamy, polygyny, polyandry, group marriage) and explain bride price, bride service, and dowry as transactions

Classify family types (nuclear, extended, joint) and trace the developmental cycle of a domestic group

Explain incest taboo and exogamy using at least two competing anthropological explanations

Contrast subsistence strategies (foraging, pastoralism, horticulture, agriculture, industrialism) by labour, property, and settlement pattern

Explain reciprocity (generalised, balanced, negative), redistribution, and market exchange with an example of each

Distinguish bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states on the basis of authority, integration, and legitimacy

Compare formalist and substantivist approaches to economic anthropology and state the core disagreement

Describe mechanisms of social control (custom, sanctions, law, feud) in acephalous versus centralised societies

Profile at least four Kerala tribal communities (e.g. Cholanaickan, Kurumba, Kadar, Irula) by habitat, subsistence, and current issues

Summarise the constitutional and legal safeguards for Scheduled Tribes and explain the debate over assimilation versus integration

Explain Tylor's and Frazer's definitions of religion and distinguish magic, religion, and science as modes of thought

Analyse ritual types (rites of passage, calendrical, crisis rites) using van Gennep's three-stage model

Interpret symbols and totemism with one ethnographic illustration, and discuss sacred versus profane

Design a fieldwork plan: state a research question, sampling strategy, and ethical safeguards including informed consent

Compare participant observation, structured interview, genealogy, and questionnaire by strength and limitation

Explain ethnographic reflexivity and the insider/outsider problem, and describe how field notes become analysis

Distinguish ethnography from ethnology and from applied anthropology with an example of each

Identify ethical risks in studying vulnerable communities and state how to mitigate them

Consolidate all ten domains into a single one-page concept map linking key terms

Answer 60 mixed practice questions under timed conditions and log every error by domain

Re-teach your three weakest domains aloud in five minutes each without notes

Memorise the ten most commonly confused term pairs (e.g. ethnography/ethnology, caste/tribe, magic/religion) and write their distinctions

Rehearse full-length answer structure for long-essay questions: definition, example, evaluation