Prelims 1997 · archive
MediumThe tribal population in Andaman and Nicobar islands belongs to the:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) Negroid race
The Andamanese tribes (Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese) are classed as Negrito, which the older racial scheme places under the Negroid group.
- ✓ (d) The island Negrito tribes are short, dark-skinned and curly-haired, so the older scheme classes them as Negroid.
- ✗ (c) Mongoloid features are associated with the Nicobarese and Shompen, but the question is about the Andaman tribes known to the exam.
Remember · Andaman tribes (Onge, Jarawa, Great Andamanese, Sentinelese) are Negrito; Nicobarese and Shompen are classed Mongoloid.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 Indian Society, Ch 3 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 12 · Indian Society, Chapter 3 “In physical-racial terms, tribes are classified under the Negrito, Australoid, Mongoloid, Dravidian and Aryan categories.”
Question: UPSC Civil Services (Preliminary) 1997, General Studies paper. UPSC did not publish an answer key for 1997: the answer shown is the generally accepted one, and the sources above explain the facts behind it. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 24 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·