Blood Relation Test
Blood Relation problems mainly deal with the hierarchical structure of a family i.e., grand-parents, parents and children etc. Different relationships between the family members of different generations are given. To solve such questions, the entire family tree is to be constructed by plotting out the various relationships.
A blood relation is a very important topic of any Aptitude Test. Such questions may be asked directly or may be given in the form of coded blood relations or data sufficiency questions.
The typical relationships that are commonly used in blood relation problems are summarized below –
Basic Relationships Part I (Must be remembered):
1. Mother's Husband = Father
2. Father's Husband = Mother
3. Father’s or Mother’s son = Brother
4. Father’s or Mother’s daughter = Sister
5. Father’s or Mother’s brother = Uncle
6. Father’s or Mother’s sister = Aunt
7. Father’s or Mother’s father = Grandfather
8. Father’s or Mother’s mother = Grandmother
9. Brother’s or Sister’s Son = Nephew
10. Brother’s or Sister’s Daughter = Niece
11. Uncle’s or Aunt’s son or daughter = Cousin
12. Sister’s Husband = Brother-in-law
13. Brother’s wife = Sister-in-law
14. Son’s wife = Daughter-in-law
15. Daughter’s Husband = Son-in-law
16. Husband’s or wife’s sister = Sister-in-law
17. Husband’s or wife’s Brother = Brother-in-law
Basic Relationships Part II (For Understanding Purpose Only):
1. Grandfather's / Grandmother's only daughter-in-law = Mother
2. The only son of your father = Yourself
3. Your father’s wife = Mother
4. Grandfather's / Grandmother's only son = Father
5. Mother-in-law of mother = Grandmother
6. Father-in-law of mother = Grandfather
7. The only daughter of the father = Sister
8. Son of the only son of the father = Son
9. Son of the only son of the grandfather = Brother
10. Daughter of the only son of grandfather = Sister
Relations from one generation to next:
MIND IT !
Generally, the question deals with a hierarchical structure which is based on seven generation three above & three below like this:
| Generation | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Three generations above??? | Great grandfather | Great grandmother Maternal great grandmother Great grandmother-in-law |
| Two generations above ?? | Grandfather Maternal grandfather Grandfather-in-law | Grandmother Maternal grandmother Grandmother-in-law |
| One generations above ? | Father, Uncle, Maternal uncle, Father-in-law | Mother, Aunt Maternal aunt, Mother-in-law |
| Current generation(Self) ? | Husband, Brother Cousin, Brother-in-law | Wife, Sister Cousin, Sister-in-law |
| One generation below ? | Son Nephew Son-in-law | Daughter Niece Daughter-in-law |
| Two generations below ?? | Grandson Grandson-in-law | Grand daughter Grand daughter-in-law |
| Three generations below ??? | Great grandson Great grandson-in-law | Great grand daughter Great grand daughter-in-law |
TIPS on cracking Reasoning Questions on Blood Relations
Tip #1: Sound knowledge of blood relations
Father's father ? Grandfather Mother's father ? Maternal grandfather
Father's mother ? Grandmother Mother's mother ? Maternal grandmother
Father's brother ? Uncle Mother's brother ? Maternal uncle
Father's sister ? Aunt Mother's sister ? Aunt
Children of uncle ? Cousin Children of maternal uncle ? Cousin
Wife of uncle ? Aunt Wife of maternal uncle ? Maternal aunt
Children of aunt ? Cousin Husband of aunt ? Uncle
Question: Pointing to a photograph of a boy Suresh said, "He is the son of the only son of my mother." How is Suresh related to that boy?
A. Brother B. Uncle C. Cousin D. Father
Solution:
Suresh’s mother’s only son is Suresh himself. So, the boy in the photo is Suresh’s son, i.e.
Suresh is the boy’s father. The answer is then D.
Question: If A + B ? A is the mother of B; A - B ? A is the brother B; A % B ? A is the father of B and A x B ? A is the sister of B, which of the following shows that P is the maternal uncle of Q?
A. Q - N + M x P B. P + S x N – Q
C. P - M + N x Q D. Q - S % P
Solution:
Analyzing the options, we see,
D. Q is the brother of S, S is the father of P ? Q is the uncle of P.
C. P is the brother of M, M is the mother of N, N is the sister of Q ? P is the maternal uncle of Q. Thus, the answer is C.
Tip #2: Draw flowchart when suitable
Question: P is the mother of K; K is the sister of D; D is J’s father. How is P related to J?
A. Mother B. Grandmother
C. Aunt D. Data inadequate
Solution:
Thus, P is the mother of J’s aunt.
Or, in other words, P is the grandmother of J.
The correct option is B. (The letters beside/under the arrows indicate: m: mother, sis: sister, f: father)
Question: Given, M % N means M is the son of N, M @ N means M is the sister of N and M $ N means M is the father of N. Which of the following shows the relation that C is the granddaughter of E?
A. C % B $ F $ E B. B $ F $ E % C
C. C @ B % F % E D. E % B $ F $ C
Solution:
Analyzing the options, we see,
With Option D:
E is the uncle of C
With Option C:
C is the granddaughter of E.
Hence, the correct option is C.