Blood Relations – Study Notes (MAT)
1️⃣ Simple Explanation
Blood relations (or kinship relations) describe how people are connected through the family tree.
In a MAT (Mental Ability Test), questions usually ask you to determine the relationship between two persons given a set of statements.
The key is to:
- Identify the direction – who is the subject and who is the reference?
- Follow the chain – move step by step along the given relationships.
- Use the standard set of kinship terms – parent, child, sibling, aunt/uncle, cousin, nephew/niece, etc.
Because MAT problems often involve a small family tree, you can solve them with a simple diagram or a list of “moves” rather than drawing a full tree.
2️⃣ Key Points
| # | Concept | How to Use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Direction matters | “A is B’s father” = A → B is parent. “B is A’s father” = B → A is parent. |
| 2 | Parent → Child | Father, mother → son, daughter. |
| 3 | Sibling | Same parents but different sexes: brother/sister. |
| 4 | Uncle/Aunt | Sibling of a parent, or spouse of a sibling of a parent. |
| 5 | Cousins | Children of two siblings. 1st cousins share grandparents. 2nd cousins share great‑grandparents, etc. |
| 6 | Grand‑ | Grandparent → parent, grandchild → child. |
| 7 | In‑law | Spouse’s kin: mother‑in‑law, sister‑in‑law, etc. |
| 8 | Speed‑up | Write a path of “+1” for moving down the tree (to child) and “–1” for moving up (to parent). A pair of equal numbers of +1 and –1 cancels out. |
| 9 | Same‑generation check | After moving, if you land at the same generation level, you’re likely at a cousin or sibling. |
| 10 | Keep track of gender | Helps choose the correct term (brother vs sister, nephew vs niece, etc.). |
3️⃣ Worked Example
Problem
In a family, the following statements are true:
- Ravi is the son of Meena.
- Meena is the daughter of Arjun.
- Arjun is the brother of Praveen.
- Praveen is the father of Sita.
- Sita is the aunt of Shyam.
What is the relationship between Ravi and Shyam?
Step‑by‑Step Solution
| Step | Statement | Path (relative to Ravi) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ravi is the son of Meena | Ravi → Meena (up 1) | Ravi is child of Meena |
| 2 | Meena is the daughter of Arjun | Meena → Arjun (up 1) | So Ravi is 2 generations below Arjun |
| 3 | Arjun is the brother of Praveen | Arjun ↔ Praveen (same generation) | Praveen is at the same level as Arjun |
| 4 | Praveen is the father of Sita | Praveen → Sita (down 1) | Sita is child of Praveen |
| 5 | Sita is the aunt of Shyam | Sita → Shyam (up 1) | Shyam is child of Sita’s sibling |
Now we need Ravi ↔ Shyam:
- From Ravi → Meena → Arjun (up 2)
- Arjun ↔ Praveen (same level)
- Praveen → Sita (down 1)
- Sita → Shyam (up 1)
Net movement from Ravi to Shyam: up 1 (Ravi to Meena) + up 1 (Meena to Arjun) + same level (Arjun ↔ Praveen) + down 1 (Praveen to Sita) + up 1 (Sita to Shyam) = up 0.
They are in the same generation.
But we also need to see the family line:
- Ravi’s parent: Meena.
- Meena’s parent: Arjun.
- Arjun’s sibling: Praveen.
- Praveen’s child: Sita.
- Sita’s child: Shyam.
So Ravi is Meena’s son; Meena is Arjun’s daughter; Arjun and Praveen are brothers → Praveen is Ravi’s uncle.
Praveen’s child Sita is Ravi’s cousin (1st cousin).
Sita’s child Shyam is Ravi’s cousin once‑removed (or first cousin, once removed).
Answer: Ravi is the first cousin, once removed of Shyam.
4️⃣ Quick Revision Summary
| Concept | Term | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Parent | Father / Mother | B is A’s father → A is B’s child |
| Child | Son / Daughter | A is B’s son → A is B’s child |
| Sibling | Brother / Sister | A is B’s brother → A is B’s sibling |
| Uncle / Aunt | (Sibling of parent) | A is B’s uncle → A is sibling of B’s parent |
| Nephew / Niece | (Child of sibling) | A is B’s nephew → A is child of B’s sibling |
| Grandparent / Grandchild | Grandfather / Grandmother | A is B’s grandparent → A is B’s grandchild |
| Cousins | 1st, 2nd, … | A is B’s 1st cousin → share grandparents |
| In‑law | Mother‑in‑law, etc. | A is B’s mother‑in‑law → A is spouse’s mother |
| **Direction |