Introduction
Blood Relation questions describe a chain of family connections in words and ask how two people are related.
The fastest method is converting each sentence into a simple family-tree diagram as you read, instead of holding
the relationships in your head.
Symbol System for Quick Mapping
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|
| + (or ↑) | Male, one generation up (father/uncle) |
| − (or ↓) | Female, one generation down (daughter/niece) |
| = | Married to / spouse |
| ↔ | Sibling relationship (same generation) |
Key Relationship Terms
- Paternal side: relatives through the father (paternal uncle = father's brother).
- Maternal side: relatives through the mother (maternal aunt = mother's sister).
- Sibling's spouse: brother-in-law/sister-in-law.
- Only child clues eliminate sibling possibilities — always note these carefully.
Q. Pointing to a photograph, Rita said, "He is the son of my grandfather's only son." How is the man in the photo related to Rita?
Grandfather's only son = Rita's father (since her father has no brothers, being the "only son").
The son of Rita's father = Rita's own brother (or Rita herself if female, but the person is male: "he").
Answer: He is Rita's brother.
Q. A is B's sister. C is B's mother. D is C's father. E is D's mother. How is A related to D?
C is B's mother, and A is B's sister, so C is also A's mother. D is C's father, meaning D is A's grandfather.
Answer: D is A's grandfather.
⚠️ Key Insight: Build the family tree one sentence at a time, adding each new person to your
diagram immediately — trying to solve the whole puzzle after reading all sentences at once is the most common
cause of errors here.
✅ Practice Focus: Multi-generation family tree construction · "Only child" and gender-based
elimination · Coded/symbolic blood relation statements · Mixed paternal-maternal relation chains.