Draw generations before names

Blood-relation questions are small family graphs. Draw a horizontal level for each generation: grandparents above parents, parents above children and siblings on the same level. Record known gender only when the stem states it. A person's name or your expectation about a common name is not evidence of gender. Translate one clause at a time. “A is the mother of B” gives A female and A one generation above B; “B is the sister of C” gives B female and B/C same parental generation.

Work inward from the speaker

Pointing-at-a-photograph statements often contain “my mother's brother” or “the daughter of my father's sister.” Replace each phrase from inside outward. Your father's sister is your aunt; her daughter is your cousin. In nested chains, write the starting person at the left and draw each move with an arrow. If the question asks how the photographed person relates to the speaker, reverse the path at the end; the direction of the question matters as much as the graph.

Separate relation from certainty

Some stems do not supply enough gender to decide between uncle and aunt, or between son and daughter. In those cases a gender-neutral relation such as sibling or child may be the only supported answer. Marriage links are not blood links, though questions often combine them. Mark a spouse link differently from a parent-child link. When there are two people with the same possible role, add names or initials and do not merge them merely because both are called “son.”

A compact checking routine

First, list explicit facts. Second, add only relations logically implied by them. Third, trace from the reference person to the target and count generation steps. Fourth, use known gender to choose the specific word. Finally, reread “of” phrases in their original order. Most mistakes arise from reversing the asked relationship, skipping a generation, or assuming gender. A diagram is faster than trying to carry three nested possessives mentally.

Practice — 50 questions

Attempt every item before reading the answers below. Figure questions require the printed or on-screen diagram.

1. Pointing to a photograph, a man said, "He is the father of my father." How is the person in the photograph related to the man?

A. Grandfather B. Father-in-law C. Mother D. Grandmother

2. Naveen is Kunal's father. How is Kunal related to Naveen?

A. granddaughter B. son-in-law C. sister-in-law D. son

3. Rohit is Seema's brother. Seema is Kunal's wife. How is Kunal related to Rohit?

A. brother-in-law B. mother-in-law C. uncle D. cousin

4. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "She is the wife of my father." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Cousin B. Aunt C. Mother D. Father

5. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "He is the only brother of my father." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Grandmother B. Mother C. Uncle D. Son

6. Aman is Geeta's brother. How is Geeta related to Aman?

A. uncle B. brother C. grandmother D. sister

7. Ramesh is Rahul's father. How is Rahul related to Ramesh?

A. son B. sister C. nephew D. uncle

8. Kavita is Pooja's sister. Pooja is Mukesh's sister. How is Mukesh related to Kavita?

A. brother B. daughter-in-law C. nephew D. wife

9. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "He is the father of my only sister." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Mother B. Nephew C. Grandmother D. Father

10. Pointing to a photograph, a man said, "She is the daughter of my wife." How is the person in the photograph related to the man?

A. Mother B. Daughter C. Granddaughter D. Grandmother

11. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "She is the mother of my sister." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Father B. Grandmother C. Mother D. Brother

12. Pointing to a photograph, a man said, "She is the mother of my only son." How is the person in the photograph related to the man?

A. Grandson B. Wife C. Cousin D. Grandfather

13. Arjun is Ritu's father. How is Ritu related to Arjun?

A. uncle B. aunt C. grandson D. daughter

14. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "He is the father of my mother." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Grandfather B. Nephew C. Mother D. Cousin

15. Kiran is Meena's sister. Meena is Arjun's wife. How is Arjun related to Kiran?

A. grandmother B. son C. mother D. brother-in-law

16. If 'A @ B' means A is B's daughter, and 'A ~ B' means A is B's husband, and 'A & B' means A is B's brother, then in the expression "Sneha @ Vinod & Rahul", how is Rahul related to Sneha?

A. husband B. mother C. uncle D. father

17. Vinod is Anita's brother. Anita is Kiran's sister. Kiran is Gopal's mother. How is Gopal related to Vinod?

A. nephew B. wife C. niece D. sister

18. 'A & B' means 'A is the mother of B', 'A ~ B' means 'A is the daughter of B', 'A # B' means 'A is the son of B', 'A + B' means 'A is the husband of B'. If C ~ B ~ E & T + V, then which of the following statements is correct?

A. E is the mother-in-law of V. B. T is the brother-in-law of B. C. V is the brother-in-law of B. D. V is the son-in-law of E.

19. Pointing to a photograph, a man said, "She is the only daughter of the wife of my father." How is the person in the photograph related to the man?

A. Sister B. Grandfather C. Father D. Uncle

20. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "She is the wife of the father of my father." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Cousin B. Grandfather C. Sister-in-law D. Grandmother

21. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "He is the husband of the mother of my father." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Grandmother B. Granddaughter C. Uncle D. Grandfather

22. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "She is the wife of the father of my only sister." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Mother-in-law B. Uncle C. Grandmother D. Mother

23. Pointing to a photograph, a man said, "He is the father of the only daughter of my mother." How is the person in the photograph related to the man?

A. Grandmother B. Sister C. Aunt D. Father

24. 'A # B' means 'A is the brother of B', 'A × B' means 'A is the daughter of B', 'A + B' means 'A is the sister of B', 'A % B' means 'A is the wife of B'. If M × D # U # J, then which of the following statements is correct?

A. M is the nephew of U. B. M is the granddaughter of J. C. U is the father of M. D. D is the brother of J.

25. Deepak is Lata's father. Lata is Geeta's sister. Geeta is Anita's sister. How is Anita related to Deepak?

A. grandmother B. mother-in-law C. cousin D. daughter

26. If 'A % B' means A is B's brother, and 'A # B' means A is B's mother, and 'A ~ B' means A is B's husband, then in the expression "Neha # Anjali # Anita", how is Anita related to Neha?

A. cousin B. grandson C. granddaughter D. brother

27. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "He is the father of the only son of my husband." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Granddaughter B. Uncle C. Husband D. Mother

28. If 'A ~ B' means A is B's father, and 'A + B' means A is B's wife, and 'A & B' means A is B's brother, then in the expression "Gopal & Mukesh ~ Priya", how is Priya related to Gopal?

A. brother B. niece C. cousin D. uncle

29. If 'A × B' means A is B's brother, and 'A & B' means A is B's husband, and 'A @ B' means A is B's father, then in the expression "Dinesh @ Rahul & Divya", how is Divya related to Dinesh?

A. daughter-in-law B. grandson C. wife D. nephew

30. 'A ÷ B' means 'A is the father of B', 'A @ B' means 'A is the daughter of B', 'A % B' means 'A is the wife of B', 'A + B' means 'A is the sister of B'. If S @ W ÷ U + Q % N, then which of the following statements is correct?

A. Q is the son of W. B. U is the sister-in-law of S. C. N is the son-in-law of W. D. W is the father-in-law of Q.

31. If 'A % B' means A is B's sister, and 'A @ B' means A is B's son, and 'A + B' means A is B's husband, then in the expression "Sanjay + Meena % Ramesh", how is Ramesh related to Sanjay?

A. granddaughter B. brother-in-law C. cousin D. sister-in-law

32. If 'A % B' means A is B's wife, and 'A + B' means A is B's mother, and 'A & B' means A is B's brother, then in the expression "Rahul & Vikram & Aman", how is Aman related to Rahul?

A. grandson B. brother C. niece D. sister-in-law

33. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "He is the father of the mother of my only son." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Father-in-law B. Grandfather C. Husband D. Father

34. Pointing to a photograph, a man said, "He is the husband of the mother of my father." How is the person in the photograph related to the man?

A. Son-in-law B. Uncle C. Grandfather D. Grandmother

35. Pointing to a photograph, a man said, "She is the wife of the father of my father." How is the person in the photograph related to the man?

A. Grandmother B. Brother C. Father D. Nephew

36. Pointing to a photograph, a man said, "She is the only daughter of the only son of my father." How is the person in the photograph related to the man?

A. Brother-in-law B. Grandfather C. Daughter D. Mother

37. If 'A ~ B' means A is B's mother, and 'A ÷ B' means A is B's brother, and 'A @ B' means A is B's husband, then in the expression "Sanjay ÷ Anil @ Neha", how is Neha related to Sanjay?

A. son B. sister-in-law C. father-in-law D. daughter-in-law

38. 'A @ B' means 'A is the daughter of B', 'A - B' means 'A is the sister of B', 'A $ B' means 'A is the wife of B', 'A % B' means 'A is the father of B'. If N % J - M - S, then which of the following statements is NOT correct?

A. N is the father of M. B. M is the niece of N. C. J is the sister of S. D. N is the father of S.

39. If 'A $ B' means A is B's wife, and 'A & B' means A is B's father, and 'A @ B' means A is B's daughter, then in the expression "Mukesh & Ramesh & Vikram", how is Vikram related to Mukesh?

A. grandson B. mother C. sister D. son

40. Sunita is Sneha's daughter. Sneha is Suresh's mother. Suresh is Ritu's husband. How is Ritu related to Sunita?

A. nephew B. father C. sister-in-law D. sister

41. Ramesh is Kiran's husband. Anjali is Rahul's wife. Divya is Rahul's daughter. Geeta is Kiran's mother. Suresh is Kiran's son. Naveen is Kiran's father. Rahul is Kiran's brother. How many children does Naveen have, based on the information above?

A. 2 B. 4 C. 1 D. 3

42. Radha is Ramesh's sister. Ramesh is Meena's brother. Meena is Anjali's mother. Anjali is Dinesh's sister. How is Dinesh related to Radha?

A. niece B. daughter-in-law C. husband D. nephew

43. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "She is the only sister of the father of my only brother." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Father B. Cousin C. Aunt D. Brother

44. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "He is the brother of the husband of my mother." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Son-in-law B. Cousin C. Grandmother D. Uncle

45. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "He is the only brother of the husband of my mother." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Father B. Daughter C. Uncle D. Grandfather

46. If 'A $ B' means A is B's wife, and 'A % B' means A is B's daughter, and 'A @ B' means A is B's brother, and 'A ÷ B' means A is B's sister, then in the expression "Manoj @ Nisha ÷ Divya ÷ Kavita", how is Kavita related to Manoj?

A. brother-in-law B. brother C. sister D. son-in-law

47. Pointing to a photograph, a woman said, "He is the father of the only daughter of my father." How is the person in the photograph related to the woman?

A. Aunt B. Brother-in-law C. Mother D. Father

48. Dinesh is Mukesh's son. Kunal is Rahul's son. Lata is Rahul's wife. Rahul is Mukesh's brother. Pooja is Mukesh's wife. How many children does Lata have, based on the information above?

A. 0 B. 3 C. 4 D. 1

49. Meena is Rajesh's wife. Anil is Pooja's son. Nisha is Pooja's mother. Rajesh is Pooja's brother. Shalini is Rajesh's daughter. Kunal is Pooja's father. Ramesh is Pooja's husband. How many children does Ramesh have, based on the information above?

A. 1 B. 0 C. 4 D. 3

50. If 'A % B' means A is B's mother, and 'A + B' means A is B's father, and 'A # B' means A is B's brother, and 'A $ B' means A is B's son, then in the expression "Sanjay # Vinod # Ramesh + Priya", how is Priya related to Sanjay?

A. son B. mother C. husband D. niece

Answers and explanations

After checking the key, explain the rule or diagram transformation to yourself before moving on.

1. A. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my father → their father. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the man's grandfather — so the person in the photograph is the man's grandfather.

APRS26-06-01 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Easy

2. D. Following the chain of statements from Naveen to Kunal: son is the exact relation, since Kunal is connected to Naveen through the stated links.

APRS26-06-02 | Direct relation (inverted) | Easy

3. A. Following the chain of statements from Rohit to Kunal: brother-in-law is the exact relation, since Kunal is connected to Rohit through the stated links.

APRS26-06-03 | Two-statement chain | Easy

4. C. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my father → their wife. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's mother — so the person in the photograph is the woman's mother.

APRS26-06-04 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Easy

5. C. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my father → their only brother. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's uncle — so the person in the photograph is the woman's uncle.

APRS26-06-05 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Easy

6. D. Following the chain of statements from Aman to Geeta: sister is the exact relation, since Geeta is connected to Aman through the stated links.

APRS26-06-06 | Direct relation (inverted) | Easy

7. A. Following the chain of statements from Ramesh to Rahul: son is the exact relation, since Rahul is connected to Ramesh through the stated links.

APRS26-06-07 | Direct relation (inverted) | Easy

8. A. Following the chain of statements from Kavita to Mukesh: brother is the exact relation, since Mukesh is connected to Kavita through the stated links.

APRS26-06-08 | Two-statement chain | Easy

9. D. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my only sister → their father. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's father — so the person in the photograph is the woman's father.

APRS26-06-09 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Easy

10. B. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my wife → their daughter. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the man's daughter — so the person in the photograph is the man's daughter.

APRS26-06-10 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Easy

11. C. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my sister → their mother. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's mother — so the person in the photograph is the woman's mother.

APRS26-06-11 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Easy

12. B. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my only son → their mother. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the man's wife — so the person in the photograph is the man's wife.

APRS26-06-12 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Easy

13. D. Following the chain of statements from Arjun to Ritu: daughter is the exact relation, since Ritu is connected to Arjun through the stated links.

APRS26-06-13 | Direct relation (inverted) | Easy

14. A. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my mother → their father. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's grandfather — so the person in the photograph is the woman's grandfather.

APRS26-06-14 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Easy

15. D. Following the chain of statements from Kiran to Arjun: brother-in-law is the exact relation, since Arjun is connected to Kiran through the stated links.

APRS26-06-15 | Two-statement chain | Easy

16. C. Decoding each symbol step by step from Sneha to Rahul gives the relation "uncle".

APRS26-06-16 | Coded blood relation | Medium

17. A. Following the chain of statements from Vinod to Gopal: nephew is the exact relation, since Gopal is connected to Vinod through the stated links.

APRS26-06-17 | Three-statement chain | Medium

18. A. Decode the chain: C is the daughter of B; B is the daughter of E; E is the mother of T; T is the husband of V. Draw the family tree from these links and test each option against it: (A) true, (B) false, (C) false, (D) false. Only "E is the mother-in-law of V." holds in the tree.

APRS26-06-18 | Coded relation — statement check | Medium

19. A. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my father → their wife → their only daughter. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the man's sister — so the person in the photograph is the man's sister.

APRS26-06-19 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Medium

20. D. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my father → their father → their wife. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's grandmother — so the person in the photograph is the woman's grandmother.

APRS26-06-20 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Medium

21. D. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my father → their mother → their husband. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's grandfather — so the person in the photograph is the woman's grandfather.

APRS26-06-21 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Medium

22. D. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my only sister → their father → their wife. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's mother — so the person in the photograph is the woman's mother.

APRS26-06-22 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Medium

23. D. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my mother → their only daughter → their father. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the man's father — so the person in the photograph is the man's father.

APRS26-06-23 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Medium

24. D. Decode the chain: M is the daughter of D; D is the brother of U; U is the brother of J. Draw the family tree from these links and test each option against it: (A) false, (B) false, (C) false, (D) true. Only "D is the brother of J." holds in the tree.

APRS26-06-24 | Coded relation — statement check | Medium

25. D. Following the chain of statements from Deepak to Anita: daughter is the exact relation, since Anita is connected to Deepak through the stated links.

APRS26-06-25 | Three-statement chain | Medium

26. C. Decoding each symbol step by step from Neha to Anita gives the relation "granddaughter".

APRS26-06-26 | Coded blood relation | Medium

27. C. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my husband → their only son → their father. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's husband — so the person in the photograph is the woman's husband.

APRS26-06-27 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Medium

28. B. Decoding each symbol step by step from Gopal to Priya gives the relation "niece".

APRS26-06-28 | Coded blood relation | Medium

29. A. Decoding each symbol step by step from Dinesh to Divya gives the relation "daughter-in-law".

APRS26-06-29 | Coded blood relation | Medium

30. C. Decode the chain: S is the daughter of W; W is the father of U; U is the sister of Q; Q is the wife of N. Draw the family tree from these links and test each option against it: (A) false, (B) false, (C) true, (D) false. Only "N is the son-in-law of W." holds in the tree.

APRS26-06-30 | Coded relation — statement check | Medium

31. B. Decoding each symbol step by step from Sanjay to Ramesh gives the relation "brother-in-law".

APRS26-06-31 | Coded blood relation | Medium

32. B. Decoding each symbol step by step from Rahul to Aman gives the relation "brother".

APRS26-06-32 | Coded blood relation | Medium

33. D. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my only son → their mother → their father. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's father — so the person in the photograph is the woman's father.

APRS26-06-33 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Medium

34. C. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my father → their mother → their husband. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the man's grandfather — so the person in the photograph is the man's grandfather.

APRS26-06-34 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Medium

35. A. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my father → their father → their wife. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the man's grandmother — so the person in the photograph is the man's grandmother.

APRS26-06-35 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Medium

36. C. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my father → their only son → their only daughter. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the man's daughter — so the person in the photograph is the man's daughter.

APRS26-06-36 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Medium

37. B. Decoding each symbol step by step from Sanjay to Neha gives the relation "sister-in-law".

APRS26-06-37 | Coded blood relation | Medium

38. B. Decode the chain: N is the father of J; J is the sister of M; M is the sister of S. Draw the family tree from these links and test each option against it: (A) true, (B) false, (C) true, (D) true. "M is the niece of N." contradicts the tree — M is actually the daughter of N.

APRS26-06-38 | Coded relation — statement check | Medium

39. A. Decoding each symbol step by step from Mukesh to Vikram gives the relation "grandson".

APRS26-06-39 | Coded blood relation | Medium

40. C. Following the chain of statements from Sunita to Ritu: sister-in-law is the exact relation, since Ritu is connected to Sunita through the stated links.

APRS26-06-40 | Three-statement chain | Medium

41. A. From the statements, Naveen's children are named explicitly — counting them gives 2.

APRS26-06-41 | Family-tree puzzle | Difficult

42. D. Following the chain of statements from Radha to Dinesh: nephew is the exact relation, since Dinesh is connected to Radha through the stated links.

APRS26-06-42 | Four-statement chain | Difficult

43. C. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my only brother → their father → their only sister. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's aunt — so the person in the photograph is the woman's aunt.

APRS26-06-43 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Difficult

44. D. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my mother → their husband → their brother. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's uncle — so the person in the photograph is the woman's uncle.

APRS26-06-44 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Difficult

45. C. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my mother → their husband → their only brother. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's uncle — so the person in the photograph is the woman's uncle.

APRS26-06-45 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Difficult

46. C. Decoding each symbol step by step from Manoj to Kavita gives the relation "sister".

APRS26-06-46 | Coded blood relation | Difficult

47. D. Resolve the phrase from the inside out, starting at the speaker: my father → their only daughter → their father. Each step names exactly one person (the "only" words guarantee this), and the final person is the woman's father — so the person in the photograph is the woman's father.

APRS26-06-47 | Pointing-to nested phrase | Difficult

48. D. From the statements, Lata's children are named explicitly — counting them gives 1.

APRS26-06-48 | Family-tree puzzle | Difficult

49. A. From the statements, Ramesh's children are named explicitly — counting them gives 1.

APRS26-06-49 | Family-tree puzzle | Difficult

50. D. Decoding each symbol step by step from Sanjay to Priya gives the relation "niece".

APRS26-06-50 | Coded blood relation | Difficult