Blood Relations – Quick & Easy Study Notes
(For Goa PSC Reasoning Ability – “Blood Relations” section)
1. What Are Blood Relations?
- Blood relations are people connected by family ties (siblings, parents, children, cousins, etc.).
- Think of a family tree like a family recipe book that lists who is related to whom.
2. Key Family Terms (No Jargon!)
| Term | Everyday Analogy | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Parent | The “root” of the tree. | Your mom or dad. |
| Child | A branch growing from a root. | You or your brother. |
| Sibling | Two branches from the same root. | Your sister or brother. |
| Grandparent | The root’s root (second level). | Your mom’s mom. |
| Grandchild | A branch two levels down. | Your nephew or niece. |
| Spouse | A tree that joins two families. | Your husband or wife. |
| Cousin | Two branches that share a parent’s sibling. | Your dad’s cousin’s child. |
| Uncle/Aunt | A sibling of a parent. | Your mom’s brother. |
| Niece/Nephew | Child of a sibling. | Your sister’s son. |
| Great‑grandparent | Root’s root’s root. | Your great‑grandma. |
Tip: Visualize each person as a point on a tree. Connections are the lines (edges) that join them.
3. How to Read a Blood‑Relation Problem
- Identify the person mentioned first (the “reference person”).
- Follow the instruction – it usually tells you how many steps up or down the tree to go.
- Count the steps using the basic terms above.
- Answer with the correct family member name.
Example:
Question: “If A is B’s father, who is B’s son?”
- A → B (father → child).
- B → ? (child).
Answer: B’s son is B’s child, i.e., son.
4. Simple Example Problem
| Person | Relation to A |
|---|---|
| B | A’s son |
| C | B’s daughter |
| D | A’s brother |
| E | D’s son |
Question: Who is E relative to C?
Solution Steps
- A → B (son).
- B → C (daughter).
- A → D (brother).
- D → E (son).
- C’s parent is B.
- B’s parent is A.
- A’s sibling is D.
- D’s son is E.
Answer: E is C’s cousin.
5. Quick Practice Questions
| # | Question | Hint | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | X is Y’s mother. Y is Z’s brother. Who is X to Z? | Think “mother of Y” and “brother of Z” | X is sister of Z’s mother → sister (i.e., X is Z’s aunt) |
| 2 | M is N’s father. N is O’s daughter. O is P’s sister. Who is M relative to P? | Follow from M → N → O → P | M is P’s uncle |
| 3 | Q is R’s father. S is Q’s sister. Who is S relative to R? | Q’s sister is R’s aunt | S is R’s aunt |
6. Quick Tips for Test Day
- Draw a mini‑family tree on a piece of paper if the problem is long.
- Label each person with a single letter (A, B, C…).
- Count steps: “Up” means parent or grand‑parent, “Down” means child or grand‑child.
- Check that you didn’t skip a step.
- Answer in the simplest term (e.g., “cousin” instead of “second cousin”).
7. Summary
- Blood relations are family connections that can be traced like a tree.
- Use simple terms: parent, child, sibling, cousin, uncle/aunt, nephew/niece.
- Follow the instructions step by step, count the links, and give the correct relationship.
With these basics, you’ll be able to decode any blood‑relation question quickly and accurately. Happy studying!