How is anthropology optional in UPSC?

Description

Every UPSC aspirant has a plethora of questions about their preparation strategy, for which they conducted research and surveys to find the best possible outcome for their preparation. Among the many questions, one of the most common is about optional strategy. Because there are a variety of optional subjects available to the candidate, selecting the best one among them is the main issue.
However, in recent years, it has been observed that anthropology as an optional has become widely popular and in high demand among various UPSC candidates. The main reason for its popularity is the positive outcome that candidates witnessed through the performance of some of the UPSC toppers. For example, some toppers have topped by taking anthropology as an optional, such as Apala Mishra who scored rank 9 in 2020 with anthropology as an option, Anudeep Durishetty who scored rank 1 in 2017, Sachin Gupta who scored rank 3 in the same year with the same optional, and so on. All of them have explained their success stories in which they have explained their approach to this exam.