BANC 104 key facts: June 2026
- Course code: BANC 104
- Course title: Fundamentals of Human Origin and Evolution
- Programme: B.Sc. (Honours) Anthropology (BSCANH, printed BSCANTH on some papers) and B.Sc. (Major) Anthropology (BSCFAN)
- Credits: 6 (core course)
- Blocks and units: 3 blocks, 10 units, plus a practical manual
- Maximum marks: 100
- Duration: 3 hours
- Questions in the paper: 9 numbered questions, 13 answers (7 long answers plus 6 short-note options)
- Word limits: 400 words per 20-mark answer, 200 words per 10-mark note
- Samples shown on this page: 2 (Q1 and Q2); all 13 in the paid file
BANC 104 Solved Question Paper June 2026 is the complete, answered version of the term-end paper IGNOU set for Anthropology students this June. It covers fossils, the opposable thumb, the Cenozoic era, Australopithecus, the Neanderthals and the compulsory craniometry question. Two answers are open below so you can judge the writing, and the full file with all 13 answers comes on WhatsApp 9899436384.
1. What the June 2026 Solved Paper Covers
BANC 104 Fundamentals of Human Origin and Evolution is a six-credit core course of IGNOU's B.Sc. (Honours) Anthropology that traces how humans evolved, from early primates and fossil apes to modern Homo sapiens.
The June 2026 paper tests that story from both ends. Section A starts with the raw evidence, fossils and how they survive, then moves to the primate hand and the geological clock of the Cenozoic era. Section B shifts to the hominins themselves: Australopithecus, the Neanderthal face and skull, and how modern Homo sapiens sapiens lived.
Section C is the practical half of the course. This year it asks about craniometry and two specific skull measurements, which is why students who skipped the practical manual find Section C hard. The course books themselves are on eGyanKosh, IGNOU's official digital repository, and our answers follow the same terms and structure.
2. Two Answers Solved in Full, Eleven Held Back
Questions 1 and 2 from Section A of the June 2026 paper are solved in full below, and the other 11 answers are in the paid file only. Both samples are written to the 400-word limit the paper sets for 20-mark questions.
Fossils and their preservation
Question 1: Describe briefly fossils and their preservation. (20)
Introduction. A fossil is any preserved remains or trace of an organism that lived in the geological past. The word comes from the Latin fossilis, meaning "dug up". By convention, remains older than about 10,000 years, the start of the Holocene, are called fossils. They are the only direct evidence of what extinct primates and early hominins looked like, so palaeoanthropology depends on them.
Conditions for fossilisation. Very few organisms become fossils. Most remains are eaten by scavengers, broken by weather or decomposed by bacteria. Fossilisation is favoured when the body is buried quickly in sediment, mud or volcanic ash, when oxygen is limited so decay slows, when the organism has hard parts such as bone, teeth or shell, and when groundwater carries dissolved minerals.
The study of everything that happens to remains between death and discovery is called taphonomy, a term introduced by the Russian palaeontologist I.A. Efremov in 1940.
Modes of preservation
- Unaltered remains: the original tissue survives, as in woolly mammoths frozen in Siberian permafrost or insects trapped in amber.
- Permineralisation: minerals such as silica or calcite fill the pores of bone or wood, making it heavy and stone-like. Most hominin bones are preserved this way.
- Replacement: the original material dissolves and another mineral, such as pyrite or silica, takes its place while keeping the shape.
- Recrystallisation: unstable minerals change into stable forms, for example aragonite in shells turning into calcite.
- Moulds and casts: the organism dissolves and leaves a hollow mould; if sediment later fills it, a cast forms. Endocasts of hominin skulls show the outer shape of the brain.
- Carbonisation: soft tissue is pressed into a thin film of carbon, common for leaves and soft-bodied animals.
- Trace fossils: evidence of activity rather than the body, such as footprints, burrows and coprolites. The Laetoli footprints in Tanzania, about 3.6 million years old and preserved in volcanic ash, prove early bipedal walking.
The human fossil record. Teeth survive best because enamel is the hardest tissue in the body, so several hominin species are known mainly from teeth and jaws. Caves such as Zhoukoudian in China, lake and river beds such as Olduvai Gorge and Lake Turkana, and volcanic deposits have produced most finds.
Conclusion. The fossil record is incomplete and biased towards hard parts and favourable settings. Even so, fossils read together with stratigraphy and dating methods remain the backbone of any reconstruction of human origin and evolution.
Opposable thumb and manual dexterity
Question 2: Explain opposable thumb and manual dexterity. (20)
Introduction. The hand is one of the features that separate primates from other mammals, and humans from other primates. Two related ideas explain this: the opposable thumb, which is a structural feature, and manual dexterity, which is the skill with which the hand is used.
Opposable thumb. Opposability is the ability to rotate the thumb so that its pad touches the pads of the other fingers of the same hand. It is made possible by the saddle-shaped carpometacarpal joint between the trapezium and the first metacarpal, which lets the thumb move in several planes and turn towards the palm.
Degrees of opposability. Many prosimians and some New World monkeys have a pseudo-opposable thumb that moves in the same plane as the fingers without true rotation. Old World monkeys and apes have true opposability, but ape thumbs are short compared with their long, curved fingers, an adaptation for climbing and hanging. Humans show the most complete form: a long, robust thumb, a well-developed flexor pollicis longus muscle and broad fingertip pads rich in nerve endings.
Manual dexterity
Manual dexterity is the capacity to make fine, controlled and coordinated movements of the hand and fingers. John Napier, in his 1956 study of the human hand, divided prehension into two basic grips.
- Power grip: the object is held between the fingers and the palm, with the thumb acting as a buttress, as when gripping a hammer.
- Precision grip: the object is held between the pads of the thumb and fingers, as when threading a needle or holding a pen.
Humans can perform pad-to-pad precision grips with a force and accuracy that no ape can match.
Evolutionary significance. Once bipedalism freed the hands from walking, selection could act on the hand for carrying and handling objects. Hand bones from Olduvai Gorge (OH 7, found in 1960) show a hand able to make a precision grip, and Homo habilis, the "handy man", is linked with Oldowan stone tools. The oldest Oldowan tools, from Gona in Ethiopia, are about 2.6 million years old.
Hand skill, tool making and a larger brain then reinforced one another, which is why the hand has such a large share of the human motor cortex.
Conclusion. The opposable thumb gives the structure and manual dexterity gives the skill. Together they made tool making possible and form one of the central traits of hominization.
3. Questions Answered Only in the Full File
These are the remaining questions of the June 2026 paper, exactly as printed. Their answers are not on this page.
Question 3 (Section A): Discuss in brief the chronology of the Cenozoic era. (20)
Question 4 (Section A): Write short notes on any two of the following. (10 + 10)
(a) Anatomical features of Archaic Homo sapiens
(b) Comparison between Neanderthal man and Homo sapiens
(c) Stratigraphy
Question 5 (Section B): Give a brief account of the tool usage and dietary pattern of Australopithecus. (20)
Question 6 (Section B): Discuss the craniofacial features of Neanderthals. (20)
Question 7 (Section B): Briefly discuss the lifeways of Homo sapiens sapiens. (20)
Question 8 (Section B): Write short notes on any two of the following. (10 + 10)
(a) Hominization
(b) Sivapithecus
(c) Scope of palaeoanthropology
Question 9 (Section C, compulsory): What is craniometry? Describe the procedure to measure maximum cranial height and maximum cranial breadth. (20)
That is 11 answers still to go, including the full Section C measurement procedure and both short-note sets. If the two samples above read the way you want your own answers to read, the rest of the file is written the same way.
4. Syllabus by Block and Unit
BANC 104 is organised into 3 blocks and 10 units, followed by a practical manual that feeds the compulsory Section C. The table maps each unit to what it teaches and to the June 2026 questions that came from it.
| Block | Unit | Key topics | June 2026 questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block 1 | Unit 1: Introducing Palaeoanthropology | Meaning of the term, aim of the field, the disciplines that feed it | Q8(c) |
| Block 1 | Unit 2: Life through Ages and Dating Methods | Fossils and taphonomy, the geological time scale and Cenozoic epochs, relative and absolute dating | Q1 (Sample 1), Q3, Q4(c) |
| Block 1 | Unit 3: Primate Origin and Miocene Hominoids | Primate traits such as the grasping hand, Eocene and Oligocene primates, Sivapithecus and Gigantopithecus | Q2 (Sample 2), Q8(b) |
| Block 2 | Unit 4: History of Human Evolution | Organic evolution, bipedal anatomy, the Laetoli and Hadar evidence | — |
| Block 2 | Unit 5: Australopithecines | Gracile and robust forms, Taung and Lucy, early tool use and diet | Q5 |
| Block 2 | Unit 6: Homo habilis | Olduvai finds, brain size, Oldowan technology | — |
| Block 3 | Unit 7: Homo erectus from Asia, Europe and Africa | Java and Peking finds, Acheulian tools, control of fire | — |
| Block 3 | Unit 8: Neanderthals | Skull and face, cold adaptation, Mousterian culture | Q4(b), Q6 |
| Block 3 | Unit 9: Origin of Modern Humans | Archaic Homo sapiens, early modern fossils, Upper Palaeolithic life | Q4(a), Q7 |
| Block 3 | Unit 10: Hominisation Process | Forest to savannah shift, the traits that made us human, mosaic evolution | Q8(a) |
| Practical | Practical manual | Craniometry, osteometry, hominid fossil casts | Q9 |
Notice the three units with no question this session: bipedal anatomy, Homo habilis and Homo erectus. Those are exactly the units December papers love, so read them alongside the solved file. If you want the unit notes themselves, see our BANC 104 Study Material.
5. Question Paper Pattern and Marks Split
The BANC 104 question paper carries 100 marks in 3 hours: you answer two questions each from Sections A and B, and Section C is compulsory. Every question is worth 20 marks, and the short-note questions split into two 10-mark parts.
| Section | Questions printed | You answer | Marks | June 2026 focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section A | Q1 to Q4 (Q4 is short notes, 3 options) | Any 2 | 40 | Fossils, the primate hand, Cenozoic time scale |
| Section B | Q5 to Q8 (Q8 is short notes, 3 options) | Any 2 | 40 | Australopithecus, Neanderthals, modern humans |
| Section C | Q9 | Compulsory | 20 | Craniometry and two skull measurements |
The word limit printed on the paper is 400 words for a 20-mark answer and 200 words for each 10-mark note. The same layout ran through every BANC 104 paper we checked from December 2022 onwards, so older papers are a fair guide. Students of the programme can compare it with any other BSCANH Question Paper in the same series.
6. Topics IGNOU Keeps Repeating, December 2022 to June 2026
Palaeoanthropology, fossils and the Neanderthals appeared in all eight official BANC 104 papers from December 2022 to June 2026. The count below comes from the IGNOU papers for December 2022, June 2023, December 2023, June 2024, December 2024, June 2025, December 2025 and June 2026.
| Topic | Sessions in which it was asked | Count (of 8) | In June 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palaeoanthropology: meaning, aim or scope | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 8 | Q8(c) |
| Fossils: significance, fossilisation, preservation | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 8 | Q1 (Sample 1) |
| Neanderthals: culture, tools, fossils, comparison, face | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 8 | Q4(b), Q6 |
| Ramapithecus or Sivapithecus | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 7 | Q8(b) |
| Early or modern Homo sapiens | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Jun 2026 | 7 | Q7 |
| Homo erectus | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 7 | — |
| Archaic Homo sapiens | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 6 | Q4(a) |
| Australopithecus and the Australopithecines | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 6 | Q5 |
| Bipedalism | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 6 | — |
| Cenozoic era and its chronology | Dec 2022, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Jun 2026 | 5 | Q3 |
| Relative dating and stratigraphy | Jun 2023, Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Jun 2026 | 5 | Q4(c) |
| Homo habilis | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Dec 2024, Jun 2025 | 5 | — |
| Absolute dating, including radiocarbon | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Dec 2024, Dec 2025 | 4 | — |
| Primates and early primates | Dec 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 4 | — |
| Craniometry (Section C) | Dec 2022, Jun 2023, Jun 2024, Jun 2026 | 4 | Q9 |
| Osteometry (Section C) | Dec 2023, Dec 2024, Jun 2025, Dec 2025 | 4 | — |
| Opposable thumb | Dec 2022, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 3 | Q2 (Sample 2) |
| Hominization | Jun 2024, Dec 2025, Jun 2026 | 3 | Q8(a) |
| Gigantopithecus | Dec 2023, Dec 2025 | 2 | — |
Two patterns stand out. Section C has split evenly, four craniometry papers and four osteometry papers, so prepare both. And Homo erectus, asked in seven straight papers, skipped June 2026, which makes it one of the strongest topics for the next sitting.
We could not find official BANC 104 papers from before December 2022 on the IGNOU sites, so this is a three-and-a-half-year view, not five. Every paper we counted is also in our IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper section if you want to check the grid yourself.
7. How the Answers Were Written and Checked
Each answer was written from the official June 2026 BANC 104 paper, sized to the printed word limit and checked against the IGNOU course material. Nothing was padded to look long.
Our subject team first read the eight papers listed above to see how IGNOU phrases BANC 104 questions. That told us what the examiner in this course rewards: named fossils, sites and dates, set out in a clear order within the word limit. Every answer in the file is built on that finding.
The review then covers syllabus fit, word count and plain English. If you are also preparing for December 2026 and want predicted questions rather than past ones, our IGNOU Solved Guess Paper range covers BANC 104 on the same standard.
8. Solved File Index for All 13 Answers
The full file answers every one of the 13 questions and options in the June 2026 paper; 2 are on this page and 11 are in the file only. BANC 104 has a practical manual, but this page does not carry a separate practical file index, so the table below maps each answer to its unit instead.
| Question | Topic | Unit | Where the answer is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Fossils and their preservation | Unit 2 | Sample 1 above |
| Q2 | Opposable thumb and manual dexterity | Unit 3 | Sample 2 above |
| Q3 | Chronology of the Cenozoic era | Unit 2 | Full file |
| Q4(a) | Anatomical features of Archaic Homo sapiens | Unit 9 | Full file |
| Q4(b) | Comparison between Neanderthal man and Homo sapiens | Unit 8 | Full file |
| Q4(c) | Stratigraphy | Unit 2 | Full file |
| Q5 | Tool usage and dietary pattern of Australopithecus | Unit 5 | Full file |
| Q6 | Craniofacial features of Neanderthals | Unit 8 | Full file |
| Q7 | Lifeways of Homo sapiens sapiens | Unit 9 | Full file |
| Q8(a) | Hominization | Unit 10 | Full file |
| Q8(b) | Sivapithecus | Unit 3 | Full file |
| Q8(c) | Scope of palaeoanthropology | Unit 1 | Full file |
| Q9 | Craniometry: maximum cranial height and breadth | Practical manual | Full file |
9. Programmes That Include BANC 104
BANC 104 is a core course of IGNOU's B.Sc. (Honours) Anthropology and is also listed for the B.Sc. (Major) Anthropology, which is why the June 2026 paper names both.
The honours programme appears as BSCANH on most papers and as BSCANTH on some, including December 2023, December 2025 and June 2026. The Major route, BSCFAN, sits under IGNOU's four-year undergraduate scheme. Students of the IGNOU Bachelor of Science (Honours) Anthropology meet this course early, and it sets up later papers on human variation and prehistory.
Because both programmes sit the same paper, the solved file works for either. Just mention your programme code when you message us so we can suggest the right companion courses.
10. How to Get the Full Solved Question Paper
Send "BANC 104 June 2026" on WhatsApp to 9899436384 and our team replies with the price and delivery details for the complete file.
The file holds all 13 answers: the 2 you have read here and the 11 listed above as full-file only. That includes the Section C craniometry procedure, both Neanderthal questions and all six short notes. It is shared as a PDF after confirmation, easy to read on a phone or print.
Many students ask for this alongside the BANC 104 question papers from earlier sessions, so they can practise one and check against the other. Tell us in the same message if you want that too.
11. BANC 104 Fundamentals of Human Origin and Evolution FAQs
These are the questions BANC 104 students ask us most about the June 2026 paper and the solved file.
What does the Solved Question Paper June 2026 include?
The file solves the full June 2026 BANC 104 paper, 13 answers in all. That covers the seven long questions, all six short-note options in Questions 4 and 8, and the compulsory craniometry question in Section C. Two answers, on fossils and the opposable thumb, are open on this page. The other 11 come only in the full file, shared on WhatsApp.
How do I get the full solved paper on WhatsApp?
Send a WhatsApp message to 9899436384 with the course code BANC 104 and the session June 2026. Our team replies with the price and delivery details, and the file is shared after confirmation. You get all 13 answers, including the 11 that are not shown on this page, in one PDF you can revise from on your phone or print at home.
How many questions are in the June 2026 question paper?
The June 2026 BANC 104 paper has nine numbered questions in three sections. Sections A and B have four questions each, and you attempt any two from each. Questions 4 and 8 are short-note sets where you choose two of three topics. Section C has one compulsory craniometry question. The paper carries 100 marks and runs for 3 hours.
Is Section C compulsory in BANC 104?
Yes. Section C is compulsory in BANC 104 and carries 20 marks. In June 2026 it asked about craniometry and two skull measurements. Across the eight official papers we checked, Section C was a craniometry question four times and an osteometry question four times, so students should prepare both measurement topics from the practical manual before the exam.
Which BANC 104 topics repeat most often?
Palaeoanthropology, fossils and the Neanderthals came up in all eight official papers from December 2022 to June 2026. Ramapithecus or Sivapithecus and early Homo sapiens appeared in seven, while archaic Homo sapiens, the Australopithecines and bipedalism appeared in six. Homo erectus came in seven papers but was missing in June 2026, which makes it a strong topic for December 2026.
Who wrote and checked the BANC 104 answers?
The answers were written by the Unnati Educations subject team led by Prateek Talwar and reviewed by Sheetal Kirola for syllabus fit, word count and clarity. Each answer follows the IGNOU limit of 400 words for 20 marks and 200 words for 10 marks, and uses the course's own terms, such as taphonomy, precision grip and hominization.
Which programmes include BANC 104?
BANC 104 is a core course of the IGNOU Bachelor of Science (Honours) Anthropology, code BSCANH, which some papers print as BSCANTH. The June 2026 paper also lists the Bachelor of Science (Major) Anthropology, code BSCFAN. It is a six-credit course, and students of both programmes sit the same 100-mark term-end paper in June and December.
Can I use the June 2026 solved paper for the December 2026 exam?
Yes. BANC 104 repeats its core topics heavily, so the June 2026 answers double as revision for December 2026. Fossils, the Neanderthals, Australopithecus, the Cenozoic era and craniometry have all been asked more than once before. Use the repeat-topic table on this page alongside the file, and add Homo erectus and bipedalism, which June 2026 did not ask.
12. Who Wrote and Checked the BANC 104 Answers
The BANC 104 answers were written by Prateek Talwar and the Unnati Educations subject team, and reviewed by Sheetal Kirola.
Prateek Talwar, founder of Unnati Educations, prepares IGNOU solved papers from the course blocks and the official term-end paper. Sheetal Kirola, Academic Head (M.Ed.), reviews every answer for syllabus fit, word count and plain English before release.