Blood Relations

Reasoning · 5 min read · Sunitha Rao

Family trees and generation logic.

The reliable method is to draw a diagram. Put each generation on its own line, use a plus sign for a married couple and vertical lines for children. Marking gender as you read prevents the classic mistake of assuming a name's gender.

Read the statement backwards when it is chained: "A is the father of B, B is the mother of C" places A two generations above C, making A the grandfather of C.

Coded blood relations replace relationships with symbols. Translate each symbol into a diagram element before answering.

Important points

  • Always draw a generation diagram.
  • Do not assume gender from a name; use only what is stated.
  • Resolve chained statements from the end backwards.
  • Paternal means father's side, maternal the mother's.

Examples

  1. A is B's father and B is C's mother, so A is C's maternal grandfather.

Practise Blood Relations questions →