Blood Relations – Reasoning Ability
(NABARD Development Assistant – Program: Reasoning Ability)
1. Simple Explanation
Blood relations (also called kinship relations) are the logical connections between people that arise from their family ties – father, mother, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, cousin, etc.
In reasoning puzzles, you are usually asked to determine the relationship between two persons based on a set of statements (e.g., “A is the son of B; B is the brother of C”).
The goal is to track the chain of relations and use the basic rules of family structure to find the final link.
2. Key Points
| # | Concept | What It Means | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parent–child | Direct link: Father, Mother, Son, Daughter | Forms the backbone of any family tree |
| 2 | Sibling | Brother, Sister | Allows you to jump between brothers/sisters |
| 3 | Spouse | Husband, Wife | Couples are not blood relatives but are often mentioned in puzzles |
| 4 | Grand‑ | Grandfather, Grandmother, Grandson, Granddaughter | Two‑step relation (parent of a parent) |
| 5 | Uncle/Aunt | Brother or Sister of a parent | One step back + lateral move |
| 6 | Cousin | Child of your aunt/uncle | Lateral relation among the same generation |
| 7 | In‑law | Relations through marriage (e.g., mother‑in‑law) | Usually not needed unless explicitly stated |
| 8 | Transitive property | If A is B’s parent and B is C’s parent, then A is C’s grand‑parent | The key to chaining multiple clues |
| 9 | Direction matters | “X is Y’s son” ≠ “Y is X’s son” | Always read the statement as “X relates to Y” |
| 10 | Notation | Use arrows or a simple table to track | Keeps the chain clear, especially in long puzzles |
Quick mnemonic
P (Parent) → S (Sibling) → G (Grand) → U (Uncle/Aunt) → C (Cousin)
When you see a relation, remember the chain of “Parent → Sibling → Grand → Uncle → Cousin”.
3. Worked Example
Problem
Statements
- A is the son of B.
- B is the brother of C.
- C is the mother of D.
- D is the sister of E.
- E is the husband of F.
- F is the daughter of G.
- G is the father of H.
- H is the grandson of A.
Question
What is the relation of H to A?
Step‑by‑Step Solution
| Step | Relationship | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A → son → B | From statement 1 |
| 2 | B → brother → C | From statement 2 |
| 3 | C → mother → D | From statement 3 |
| 4 | D → sister → E | From statement 4 |
| 5 | E → husband → F | From statement 5 |
| 6 | F → daughter → G | From statement 6 |
| 7 | G → father → H | From statement 7 |
| 8 | H → grandson → A | From statement 8 (confirms the chain) |
Result
H is A’s grandson.
(You can also read it as A is the great‑grandfather of H.)
Visual Diagram
A ──(son)──► B
B ──(brother)──► C
C ──(mother)──► D
D ──(sister)──► E
E ──(husband)──► F
F ──(daughter)──► G
G ──(father)──► H
The arrow direction shows “X relates to Y”.
4. Quick Revision Summary
| Topic | What to remember |
|---|---|
| Basic terms | Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, Brother, Sister, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, Grand‑(father/mother/son/daughter) |
| Direction | Read “X is Y’s ___” as X relates to Y; reverse if needed |
| Chains | Use transitive property: Parent → Grandparent → Uncle/Aunt → Cousin |
| Common pitfalls | Confusing “son” with “daughter”; ignoring the direction; mixing up spouse relations |
| Strategy | 1. List all given relations. 2. Draw a simple tree or table. 3. Follow the chain to the target. 4. Double‑check direction. |
| Quick check | If the puzzle ends with “is the ___ of ___”, verify the final link with the initial person. |
Final tip: Practice by sketching the family tree on paper or using a two‑column table; this visual aid saves time during exams. Happy reasoning!