BANE 141 key facts: June 2026
- Course code: BANE 141 (printed BANE-141 on the paper)
- Course title: Physiological Anthropology
- Programme: B.Sc. (Honours) Anthropology (BSCANH), Semester V Discipline Specific Elective
- Credits: 6
- Course structure: 3 blocks, 11 units, plus a separate Practical Manual
- Maximum marks: 100 (term-end exam 70 per cent, assignments 30 per cent)
- Duration: 3 hours
- Questions in the June 2026 paper: 9 (Q4 and Q8 are short-note sets with 4 options each); printed code C-3529
- Word limits: 400 words per 20-mark answer, 200 words per 10-mark note
- Paper language: printed in English and Hindi
- Sample answers on this page: 2 (Q1 and Q2); all 9 in the paid file
BANE 141 Solved Question Paper June 2026 gives you complete answers to all 9 questions of the official IGNOU paper, with 2 shown here in full and 7 kept for the paid file.
1. What the June 2026 Solved Paper Covers
BANE 141 Physiological Anthropology is a six-credit elective in IGNOU's B.Sc. (Honours) Anthropology programme that studies how the human body produces energy, moves blood and oxygen, and copes with training, age and harsh environments.
The paper is heavy on the heart and blood. Cardiac output, maximal exercise, resistance to blood flow, stroke volume and the dissociation curve together touch five of the nine questions. That is why our file treats Unit 3, Haemodynamics, as the core of this paper rather than a side topic.
If you are comparing this with other anthropology papers from the same programme, our BSCANH Question Paper collection lists them by course code, so you can check every paper you will write this term.
2. Two Answers Solved in Full, Seven Held Back
Questions 1 and 2 from Section A are answered in full below, exactly as our paid file presents them, so you can judge the depth before you order.
Body physique, body composition and performance
Question 1: Discuss with example the relationship between body physique and body composition with performance. (20)
Introduction. Body physique is the overall shape and build of a person, usually expressed as a somatotype. Body composition is the share of body mass that is fat mass and fat-free mass, which includes muscle, bone, water and organs. Together they decide how much force a person can produce, how far they can carry their own weight and how well they tolerate heat.
Physique and somatotype
W.H. Sheldon (1940) described three components: endomorphy (roundness and relative fatness), mesomorphy (muscle and bone robustness) and ectomorphy (linearity). Barbara Heath and J.E. Lindsay Carter (1967) turned this into an anthropometric method using height, weight, skinfolds, bone breadths and limb girths, giving a three-number rating such as 2-6-2.
Body composition
The simplest model splits the body into fat mass and fat-free mass. It is measured with skinfold callipers, bioelectrical impedance, underwater weighing or DEXA scanning. Some fat is essential for hormones and nerves; storage fat above that level is extra load the body has to move.
How the two shape performance
- Mesomorphy and power: sprinters, weightlifters and gymnasts rate high on mesomorphy. A large fat-free mass gives a bigger muscle cross-section, and muscle strength rises with cross-sectional area.
- Ectomorphy and endurance: elite distance runners, such as the Kenyan and Ethiopian marathon runners, are linear and lean. Less mass means less energy per kilometre and a higher surface-area-to-mass ratio for shedding heat.
- Endomorphic mass and momentum: hammer and shot throwers and heavyweight wrestlers gain stability and momentum from extra mass, so a higher body weight helps rather than hurts.
- Fat as dead weight: in running and jumping, storage fat raises the energy cost of movement and lowers VO2 max expressed per kilogram of body weight, even when the heart and lungs are equally fit.
Evidence from athletes
J.M. Tanner's study of athletes at the 1960 Rome Olympics, published as The Physique of the Olympic Athlete (1964), showed that each event draws a typical build. Later Heath-Carter surveys confirmed that somatotype clusters by sport, which is why coaches use physique when selecting talent.
Limits of the link
Physique is strongly shaped by heredity and bone structure, so it changes little in adults. Body composition, in contrast, responds to training and diet within weeks. Very low body fat can also damage health, so the aim is an optimal, not minimal, fat level for each sport.
Conclusion. Physique sets the frame and body composition fills it. Performance is best when the frame suits the event and the fat-free mass is high for that frame. This is why physiological anthropology measures both before judging fitness or potential.
Metabolic changes in muscles during exercise
Question 2: Elucidate with example the metabolic changes in muscles during exercise. (20)
Introduction. A resting muscle stores only enough ATP for a few seconds of hard work. Once exercise starts, the muscle must rebuild ATP as fast as it uses it. It does this through three energy pathways that switch on in overlapping stages, and by shifting between carbohydrate and fat as fuel.
- ATP-PC (phosphagen) system. Creatine phosphate hands its phosphate group to ADP through the enzyme creatine kinase, rebuilding ATP almost instantly without oxygen. Stores run low in roughly 10 seconds of all-out effort. Example: a 100 m sprint or a single heavy lift depends mainly on this system.
- Anaerobic glycolysis. Muscle glycogen and blood glucose are broken down to pyruvate. When oxygen supply lags behind demand, pyruvate becomes lactate. The yield is small, a net 2 ATP per glucose molecule, but it is fast. Hydrogen ions build up and muscle pH falls, which adds to fatigue. Example: a 400 m run.
- Aerobic (oxidative) metabolism. Inside mitochondria, pyruvate and fatty acids pass through the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain. This gives about 30 to 32 ATP per glucose molecule and far more from fat, but more slowly. It dominates efforts lasting beyond a few minutes. Example: a marathon or long cycling ride.
Fuel shifts with intensity and time
- At low intensity, fat supplies most of the energy; as intensity rises, carbohydrate takes over, a pattern described as the crossover concept by Brooks and Mercier (1994).
- In long events, muscle glycogen runs down. Marathon runners call the sudden slowdown late in the race "hitting the wall".
- The lactate threshold marks the intensity at which lactate starts building faster than it is cleared.
Supporting changes
Blood flow to working muscle rises sharply and the muscle extracts more oxygen from each litre of blood. Adrenaline and glucagon rise while insulin falls, releasing glucose from the liver and fat from adipose tissue. Contraction itself moves GLUT4 transporters to the muscle surface, raising glucose uptake. A warmer muscle also speeds up enzyme reactions.
After exercise
Oxygen use stays high for a while, called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or oxygen debt. This oxygen rebuilds creatine phosphate, restores ATP and helps clear lactate, part of which the liver turns back into glucose through the Cori cycle.
Conclusion. Muscle metabolism during exercise is a relay: the phosphagen system starts the effort, glycolysis carries short hard bursts, and aerobic metabolism sustains long work. Training shifts this balance by adding mitochondria and glycogen stores, which is why a trained athlete tires later.
3. Questions Answered Only in the Full File
The seven questions below are printed exactly as they appear in the June 2026 paper. Their answers are not shown on this page.
Question 3 (Section A): Define cardiac output. Discuss critically its determinants. (20)
Question 4 (Section A): Write short notes on any two of the following. (10 + 10)
(a) Homeostasis
(b) Physical performance and techno-availability
(c) Energy system
(d) Nutrition
Question 5 (Section B): Discuss with relevant examples the physiological changes occurring in the cardiovascular system during maximal exercise. (20)
Question 6 (Section B): How are physical performance and environmental stress associated? Discuss with suitable examples. (20)
Question 7 (Section B): Discuss the relationship of resistance to the blood flow in vessels. (20)
Question 8 (Section B): Write short notes on any two of the following. (10 + 10)
(a) Exercise and training
(b) Stroke volume
(c) Ageing and health
(d) Physical fitness
Question 9 (Section C, compulsory): Elucidate the oxygen transport system with special emphasis on the oxygen-haemoglobin dissociation curve. (20)
4. Block and Unit Wise Syllabus
BANE 141 Physiological Anthropology has 11 units across three blocks, plus a separate Practical Manual, all published on IGNOU's eGyanKosh repository. The table lists what each unit actually teaches.
| Block | Unit | Unit title | Core topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block 1: Fundamentals of Work Physiology | Unit 1 | Energy Intake, Metabolism and Homeostasis | Basal metabolic rate and energy balance; ATP-PC, glycolytic and oxidative systems; feedback loops in homeostasis |
| Block 1: Fundamentals of Work Physiology | Unit 2 | Exercise Physiology | Muscle fibre types; fuel use and lactate during work; oxygen debt after exercise |
| Block 1: Fundamentals of Work Physiology | Unit 3 | Haemodynamics | Cardiac output as heart rate times stroke volume; blood pressure and vessel resistance; blood flow through the heart |
| Block 2: Cardio-vascular and Respiratory Endurance | Unit 4 | Physical Working Capacity and Physical Fitness | VO2 max as a measure of working capacity; components of fitness; field tests such as step and walking tests |
| Block 2: Cardio-vascular and Respiratory Endurance | Unit 5 | Chronic Physiological Adaptations to Exercise Training | Lower resting heart rate and larger stroke volume; more mitochondria and capillaries; detraining effects |
| Block 2: Cardio-vascular and Respiratory Endurance | Unit 6 | Exercises and Age | Fall in maximal heart rate and VO2 max with age; loss of muscle mass; exercise planning for older adults |
| Block 2: Cardio-vascular and Respiratory Endurance | Unit 7 | Anthropometry and CVD and Respiratory Functions | BMI and waist measures as heart-risk markers; static and dynamic lung volumes; factors affecting lung function |
| Block 2: Cardio-vascular and Respiratory Endurance | Unit 8 | Gender and Ethnicity | Sex differences in haemoglobin and aerobic capacity; population variation in cardiorespiratory fitness |
| Block 3: Factors Affecting Physical Performance | Unit 9 | Principles of Physical Conditioning Techniques | Overload, specificity and progression; interval and circuit training; yoga as conditioning |
| Block 3: Factors Affecting Physical Performance | Unit 10 | Effect of Diverse Conditions | Work in heat and cold; high-altitude hypoxia; acclimatisation of the body |
| Block 3: Factors Affecting Physical Performance | Unit 11 | Physique, Nutrition and Performance | Somatotype and body composition in athletes; macronutrients and hydration for performance |
Unit numbering in Block 3 starts at 9, and eGyanKosh lists that block's units out of order, so do not be surprised if your downloaded files look shuffled. For unit-wise notes in plain language, see our BANE 141 Study Material, which follows the same unit order.
5. Question Paper Pattern and Marks Distribution
The June 2026 BANE 141 paper carries 100 marks for 3 hours, and you write five answers: two from Section A, two from Section B and the compulsory Section C question.
| Section | Questions printed | What you attempt | Marks | Word limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section A | Q1 to Q4 (Q4 is a short-note set) | Any two | 2 × 20 = 40 | 400 words per full answer; 200 per short note |
| Section B | Q5 to Q8 (Q8 is a short-note set) | Any two | 2 × 20 = 40 | 400 words per full answer; 200 per short note |
| Section C | Q9 only, no internal choice in June 2026 | Compulsory | 20 | 400 words |
The paper is printed in English and Hindi, so you may answer in either medium. The term-end exam counts for 70 per cent of your course result, and your three tutor marked assignments count for the other 30 per cent.
One change is worth noting. The June 2025 paper gave an "or" choice in Section C, but June 2026 printed a single question with no alternative. To see older papers side by side, visit our IGNOU Previous Year Question Paper section.
6. Repeated Topics Across BANE 141 Papers
Seven topics in the June 2026 BANE 141 paper were also asked in June 2025, including cardiac output and the dissociation curve, which sat in Section C both times.
This count uses only the two official papers we could open on ignou.ac.in: June 2025 and June 2026. Other sessions were not included, so the counts are out of 2, not out of five years.
| Topic | June 2025 paper | June 2026 paper | Times asked | Syllabus unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiac output and its determinants | Q8, Section B | Q3, Section A | 2 of 2 | Unit 3 |
| Oxygen-haemoglobin dissociation curve | Q9, Section C, with an "or" option | Q9, Section C, compulsory | 2 of 2 | Units 3 and 7 |
| Metabolism in muscles during exercise | Q1, Section A | Q2, Section A (Sample 2) | 2 of 2 | Units 1 and 2 |
| Body physique and body composition | Q5, linked to physical fitness | Q1, linked to performance (Sample 1) | 2 of 2 | Unit 11 |
| Training | Q3, full 20-mark question | Q8(a), short note | 2 of 2 | Unit 9 |
| Physical fitness | Q5 and Q7 (cardiorespiratory fitness) | Q8(d), short note | 2 of 2 | Unit 4 |
| The body's response to exercise intensity | Q9 "or" option, submaximal exercise | Q5, maximal exercise and the heart | 2 of 2 | Units 2 and 5 |
| Resistance to blood flow in vessels | — | Q7, Section B | 1 of 2 | Unit 3 |
| Physical performance and environmental stress | — | Q6, Section B | 1 of 2 | Unit 10 |
Homeostasis came up in June 2026 as a short note, and June 2025 touched the same idea through a short note on the regulatory feedback loop. For our predicted list for the next exam, see IGNOU Solved Guess Paper.
7. How Our Answers Are Written and Checked
Every answer in the file is written to the word limit printed on the paper and checked against the eGyanKosh units before it goes in.
Our subject team first maps each question to its unit, so the cardiac output answer draws on Haemodynamics and the environmental stress answer on Effect of Diverse Conditions. Answers then follow one shape: a definition, the main points with named scientists or dates where they exist, an example from sport or Indian life, and a two-line conclusion.
Where a question also appeared in June 2025, we note it inside the answer, so you know which parts of your revision cover two sessions at once.
8. Practical Manual and Solved File Index
BANE 141 has a separate Practical Manual on eGyanKosh, while this solved file covers the 9 theory questions of the June 2026 paper, indexed below by unit and location.
The practical record is assessed separately, so it is not part of this file. Several theory questions still lean on practical skills: stroke volume and cardiac output use pulse and heart-rate readings, and fitness short notes draw on field tests from Unit 4.
| Question | Topic | Marks | Course unit | Where to find the answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Body physique, body composition and performance | 20 | Unit 11 | Sample 1 above |
| Q2 | Metabolic changes in muscles during exercise | 20 | Units 1 and 2 | Sample 2 above |
| Q3 | Cardiac output and its determinants | 20 | Unit 3 | Full file |
| Q4 | Short notes: homeostasis, techno-availability, energy system, nutrition (all four solved) | 10 + 10 | Units 1, 10 and 11 | Full file |
| Q5 | Cardiovascular changes in maximal exercise | 20 | Units 2 and 5 | Full file |
| Q6 | Physical performance and environmental stress | 20 | Unit 10 | Full file |
| Q7 | Resistance to blood flow in vessels | 20 | Unit 3 | Full file |
| Q8 | Short notes: training, stroke volume, ageing and health, fitness (all four solved) | 10 + 10 | Units 3, 4, 6 and 9 | Full file |
| Q9 | Oxygen transport and the dissociation curve (compulsory) | 20 | Units 3 and 7 | Full file |
9. Programmes That Include BANE 141
BANE 141 Physiological Anthropology is a Discipline Specific Elective in Semester V of IGNOU's B.Sc. (Honours) Anthropology.
If you are enrolled in the Bachelor of Science (Honours) Anthropology (BSCANH), this course sits alongside other third-year electives and carries six credits, like most core and elective courses in that 148-credit programme.
Some course lists also place BANE 141 under the Bachelor of Arts (General) anthropology stream. The June 2026 paper carries only the BSCANH heading, so check your admit card before you order.
10. How to Get the Full Solved Question Paper
Send a WhatsApp message to 9899436384 with the code BANE 141 and the session June 2026, and the full file with all 9 answers comes to you on the same chat.
The file holds the 2 samples from this page and the 7 answers not shown here, including every one of the 8 short-note options and the compulsory oxygen transport answer. It arrives as a PDF you can read on your phone or print.
11. BANE 141 Physiological Anthropology FAQs
These are the questions BANE 141 students ask us most often before ordering the June 2026 file.
What does the Solved Question Paper June 2026 include?
It includes complete answers to all 9 questions of the official June 2026 BANE 141 paper, including every one of the 8 short-note options in Q4 and Q8. Two answers, Q1 and Q2, are shown on this page as samples. The other 7, including the compulsory Section C answer on oxygen transport, are available only in the full file you receive on WhatsApp.
How do I get the full solved file on WhatsApp?
Send a message to WhatsApp 9899436384 with the course code BANE 141 and the session June 2026. Our team replies with the price and payment details, and sends the PDF on the same chat once payment is confirmed. The file carries all 9 answers: the 2 samples from this page and the 7 answers that are not shown here.
Which questions are answered on this page?
Question 1 on body physique, body composition and performance, and Question 2 on metabolic changes in muscles during exercise, are answered in full on this page. Both are 20-mark Section A questions, written close to the 400-word limit. Questions 3 to 9 are listed as printed, and their answers are kept for the full file only.
Is the paper pattern the same as June 2025?
Mostly, yes. Both papers carry 100 marks for 3 hours, with two answers each from Sections A and B and one from Section C. The difference is in Section C. June 2025 offered an "or" choice between the dissociation curve and submaximal exercise, while June 2026 printed a single compulsory question on oxygen transport with no alternative.
Which BANE 141 topics repeat between papers?
Comparing the official June 2025 and June 2026 papers, cardiac output, the oxygen-haemoglobin dissociation curve, muscle metabolism during exercise and body physique with body composition appear in both. Training and physical fitness also return, once as full questions and once as short notes. Two papers are a small sample, so treat these as strong signals rather than certainties.
How long should a BANE 141 answer be in the term-end exam?
The June 2026 paper sets 400 words for a 20-mark question and 200 words for each 10-mark short note. Our answers follow the same limits, so you learn content in the size you will actually write. Open with a clear definition, cover the main points with an example, and close with two lines that link the idea back to human performance.
Which programmes study BANE 141?
BANE 141 is a six-credit Discipline Specific Elective in the Semester V list of IGNOU's B.Sc. (Honours) Anthropology (BSCANH), as shown on eGyanKosh. Some third-party lists also place it under the BA General programme. Check your own programme guide or admit card before relying on this. The June 2026 paper itself carries the BSCANH heading.
Who writes and checks the BANE 141 answers?
The answers are written by Prateek Talwar and reviewed by Sheetal Kirola at Unnati Educations. Each answer is checked against the BANE 141 units on eGyanKosh, the word limits printed on the paper, and the official June 2025 paper for repeated themes. Any doubt you have after buying can be raised on WhatsApp 9899436384 and our team will explain it.
12. Who Wrote and Checked the BANE 141 Answers
The BANE 141 answers were written by Prateek Talwar 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.), checks every answer against its eGyanKosh unit, the printed word limit and the earlier official paper for repeated themes.