NTA UGC NET/JRF Exam, June 2024 (Anthropology)

Total Questions: 100

71. The chronological order of Inter-glacial episodes of the Pleistocene period from the earliest to the latest:

A. Cromerian                             B. Eemian
С. Нохаanian                            D. Villafranchian
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: 2. D, A, C, B
Solution:The correct chronological order of Pleistocene interglacial periods from earliest to latest is:
• D. Villafranchian - late Pliocene to early Pleistocene (~3.5-1.0 mya)
• A. Cromerian - ~0.8 to 0.5 mya
• C. Hoxanian - ~0.42 to 0.38 mya
• B. Eemian - ~ 130,000 to 115,000 years ago
These interglacials mark warmer phases between glacial periods and are key in palaeoclimate studies.

72. The basic tenet of Cultural Materialism is:

Correct Answer: 4. Infrastructural Determinism
Solution:Cultural Materialism, developed by Marvin Harris, is based on infrastructural determinism. It posits that infrastructure (technology, environment, and production) shapes structure (social organization) and superstructure (ideology, values).

Changes in material conditions drive cultural evolution, with infrastructure as the base level.

73. An approach in systematics where it relies solely on numerically describing degrees of similarity and difference between organisms, without biases created by knowing some groups are more closely related than others is known as:

Correct Answer: 2. Phenetics
Solution:Phenetics is a classification approach that groups organisms solely based on overall similarity, usually using quantitative traits.
• It avoids assumptions about evolutionary relationships or ancestry.
• It contrasts with cladistics, which classifies based on shared derived traits and common ancestry.
• Phenetics uses numerical taxonomy methods like cluster analysis.

74. Who among the following has not proposed the Mitochondrial Eve Hypothesis?

Correct Answer: 3. Svante Paabo
Solution:The Mitochondrial Eve hypothesis was proposed by Rebecca Cann, Mark Stoneking, and Allan Wilson in the 1980s.

It traced modern human mtDNA to a common female ancestor in Africa around 150,000- 200,000 years ago.

Svante Pääbo is known for his work on ancient DNA and Neanderthal genomics, not this hypothesis.

75. Pit dwellings and pointed butt celts are characteristic of:

Correct Answer: 4. North Zone Neolithic
Solution:Pit dwellings and pointed-butt celts are characteristic of the North Zone Neolithic, particularly sites like Burzahom in Kashmir.

These features indicate adaptation to cold climates and early farming lifestyles.

The Neolithic of this zone also includes evidence of domesticated animals and polished stone tools.

76. Fraction of cases carrying a given gene that manifests a specified phenotype is known as:

Correct Answer: 4. Penetrance
Solution:Penetrance refers to the proportion of individuals with a specific genotype who actually express the expected phenotype.

For example, if a gene has 80% penetrance, only 80% of individuals with that gene will show the trait. It differs from expressivity, which relates to the degree or intensity of the trait shown.

Penetrance can be complete or incomplete, depending on genetic and environmental factors.

77. Match the LIST-I with LIST-II.

LIST-I (Species concept)LIST-II (Scholars associated with)
A. Biological species conceptI. Leigh Van Valen
B. Evolutionary species conceptII. H.E.H. Paterson
C. Ecological species conceptIII. Ernst Mayr
D. Recognition species conceptIV. George Gaylord Simpson

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: 2. A-III, B-IV, C-I, D-II
Solution:• Biological species concept - associated with Ernst Mayr (A-III), focusing on interbreeding and reproductive isolation.
• Evolutionary species concept - proposed by George Gaylord Simpson (B-IV), based on lineages through time.
• Ecological species concept - developed by Leigh Van Valen (C-I), emphasizing niche differentiation.
• Recognition species concept - linked to H.E.H. Paterson (D-II), focusing on mate recognition systems.

78. Who among the following forcefully argued that women are universally devalued because of their reproductive capacities which places them on the side of nature, domestic and public, and thus the irrelevant?

Correct Answer: 2. S. Ortner
Solution:Sherry Ortner famously argued in her 1974 essay "Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture?"
• She claimed that women are universally devalued because of their association with nature, domesticity, and reproduction,
• While men are linked to culture, public life, and social power.
• Her work laid the foundation for feminist anthropology.

79. Arrange the following Postmodernist works in ascending order from early to later:

A. F. Jameson - Postmodernism
B. Stephen A. Tyler- The Unspeakable
C. Clifford and Marcus - Writing Culture
D. David Harvey - The Condition of Postmodernity
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: 2. С, В, D, A
Solution:(C) Clifford & Marcus - Writing Culture (1986)
(B) Stephen A. Tyler - The Unspeakable (1987)
(D) David Harvey - The Condition of Postmodernity (1989)
(A) F. Jameson - Postmodernism, or The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (1991)
This order reflects the progression of postmodernist thought in anthropology and cultural theory.

80. Marxism is associated with the work of:

A. Alfred Gel                             B. P. Hocking
C. M. Bloch                               D. M. Godelier
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

Correct Answer: 4. C and D only
Solution:Maurice Bloch and (D) Maurice Godelier are key figures in Marxist anthropology.
• Bloch focused on ideology and power, while Godelier analyzed kinship and production in Marxist terms.
• They explored how economic and social structures shape culture.
• Gel and Hocking are not associated with Marxist frameworks.