Blood Relations with Examples

Blood relations

Blood relations, also called family relationships, are connections among members of a family based on birth, marriage or adoption. Questions on blood relations test your ability to deduce ties such as parent-child, siblings, uncle/aunt, nephew/niece, cousins and in-laws from given statements. These problems train logical reasoning and careful reading of relationships.

Family tree

A family tree (also called a genealogical tree or pedigree chart) is a diagram that shows how people in a family are related across generations. It usually shows parents, children, siblings and spouses, and helps visualise relationships quickly and clearly.

• A family tree typically includes direct ancestors, descendants, siblings and spouses, and shows how individuals are connected by blood or marriage.

Observations from the family tree

1. Akash and Arjun are brothers, and Anne is the wife of Arjun.
2. Myra is the daughter of Arjun and Anne.
3. Veena is the mother of Akash, and she has three brothers: Vishnu, Ravi, and Guru.
4. Lakshmi Narayan is the father of Arjun and the son of Krishna Rao and Radha.
5. Narayan and Shakuntala are husband and wife and are the parents of Veena.

Important terms in blood relations

• Ancestor - a person from whom one is descended (grandparent, great-grandparent, etc.).
• Descendant - a person who is descended from another (child, grandchild, etc.).
• Siblings - persons who share at least one parent (brother, sister).
• Spouse - husband or wife; a person joined by marriage.
• In-law - a relative by marriage (father-in-law, sister-in-law, etc.).
• Uncle / Aunt - a brother or sister of a parent, or the spouse of such a person.
• Nephew / Niece - son or daughter of one's sibling.
• Cousin - child of one's uncle or aunt (first cousin).
• Generation - a level in the family tree (parents and their children are different generations).
• Lineage - the line of descent traced from an ancestor.

How to draw a family diagram (important symbols)

Using simple symbols makes it easier to draw and read family diagrams. Common conventions:

• Use a horizontal line to join a married couple.
• Use a vertical line downward from a couple to their children.
• Place siblings on the same horizontal level under their parents.
• Use labels (names, gender markers) to avoid ambiguity.

Some Basic Important blood relationships are shown below through a diagram.

Blood Relation Solving Tricks

• Trick Name: Draw Family Tree Always
  Use when: The statement has multiple persons and relationships mentioned one after another.
  Steps:
  1. Start from the first person or the speaker ("me").
  2. Break the statement into small parts and draw connections step by step (horizontal line for marriage, vertical for children).
  3. Mark generations clearly (same level for siblings, one level down for children).
  4. Find the required relationship by counting generations and sides (paternal/maternal).
  Trap Warning: Students try to solve mentally without drawing - this leads to confusion in long statements. Always draw on rough paper.
• Trick Name: Assume "Me" as Speaker
  Use when: The question starts with "A says to B" or introduces relations from one person's view.
  Steps:
  1. Treat the speaker as the central point ("me").
  2. Convert every relation relative to this person.
  3. Draw the tree from this reference point.
  4. Verify the final link.
  Trap Warning: Ignoring the speaker's perspective and treating everyone equally causes wrong generation count.
• Trick Name: Never Assume Gender
  Use when: Names are given that can be used for both genders or gender is not mentioned.
  Steps:
  1. Check if the question specifies "only son", "only daughter" or gender clearly.
  2. If not mentioned, keep both possibilities open until the end.
  3. Eliminate options only after confirming gender from the whole statement.
  4. In coded relations, check all options including gender variations.
  Trap Warning: Assuming a name like "Ritu" is always female or "only child" means no siblings - exams often trap on this. Read carefully.
• Trick Name: Check Generation Gap
  Use when: You have narrowed down to 2-3 options and need final elimination.
  Steps:
  1. Count the number of generations between the two persons in the question.
  2. Compare with each option (same generation = brother/sister/cousin, one above = parent/uncle, one below = son/nephew).
  3. Eliminate options that do not match the generation difference.
  4. Confirm with the drawn tree.
  Trap Warning: Students pick relation without checking if it fits the generation level - this is a very common mistake.
• Trick Name: Break Long Statements into Parts
  Use when: The question has 4-5 lines with many names.
  Steps:
  1. Read the full question once.
  2. Split into small independent relations.
  3. Draw one part at a time and connect them.
  4. Finally locate the asked relation.
  Trap Warning: Trying to remember everything in mind leads to mixing up names and relations.

Solved examples

Example 1: In a family, there are seven persons, comprising two married couples. T is the son of M and the grandson of K. M is a widower. M and R are brothers and W is the daughter-in-law of J, who is the mother of R and the grandmother of D. How is D related to M?
(a) Son
(b) Son-in-Law
(c) Nephew or Niece
(d) Brother

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

D is the child of R (since J is mother of R and grandmother of D). M and R are brothers; therefore, D, being R's child, is M's nephew or niece. The gender of D is not specified, so the correct answer is nephew or niece.

Example 2: Arti and Saurabh are the children of Mr and Mrs Shah. Ritu and Shakti are the children of Mr and Mrs Mehra. Saurabh and Ritu are married to each other and two daughters Mukti and Shruti are born to them. Shakti is married to Rina and two children Subhash and Reshma are born to them. How is Arti related to Shruti?
(a) Mother
(b) Mother-in-Law
(c) Sister
(d) Aunt

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

Arti is the sister of Saurabh (they are children of Mr and Mrs Shah). Saurabh is the father of Shruti. Therefore Arti is Shruti's paternal aunt. The correct relationship is aunt.

Example 3: T, S and R are three brothers. T's son Q is married to K and they have one child Rahul. M, the son of S, is married to H and this couple is blessed with a daughter Madhvi. R has a daughter N who is married to P. This couple has one daughter Karuna born to them. How is Madhvi related to S?
(a) Daughter
(b) Niece
(c) Granddaughter
(d) None of The Above

Ans: (c)

Explanation:

M is the son of S. Madhvi is the daughter of M. Therefore Madhvi is the granddaughter of S. The correct option is granddaughter.

Example 4: Mohan is the son of Arun's father's sister. Prakash is the son of Reva, who is the mother of Vikas and grandmother of Arun. Pranab is the father of Neela and the grandfather of Mohan. Reva is the wife of Pranab. How is the wife of Vikas related to Neela?
(a) Sister
(b) Sister-in-Law
(c) Niece
(d) None of The Above

Ans: (b)

Explanation:

Reva and Pranab are husband and wife. Reva is the mother of Vikas and grandmother of Arun, so Vikas is in the same generation as Neela's parent. The diagram shows that Vikas is Neela's brother. Therefore the wife of Vikas is Neela's sister-in-law.

Example 5: Pinky, who is Victor's daughter, says to Lucy, "Your mother Rosy is the younger sister of my father, who is the third child of Joseph." How is Joseph related to Lucy?
(a) Father-in-Law
(b) Father
(c) Maternal Uncle
(d) Grandfather

Ans: (d)

Explanation:

Joseph is the parent of three children; one of those children is Victor (Pinky's father) and another is Rosy (Lucy's mother). Since Rosy is Lucy's mother and Rosy is Joseph's child, Joseph is Lucy's grandfather. The correct answer is grandfather.