Blood relation questions test how accurately you can decode family trees from verbal clues. Build a simple diagram, identify gender and generation, and then trace the relationship from the reference person named in the question.

Core family relationships

• Parent: father or mother of a person.
• Child: son or daughter of a person.
• Sibling: brother or sister sharing the same parent.
• Grandparent: parent of a parent.
• Grandchild: child of a child.
• Uncle or aunt: sibling of a parent or spouse of that sibling.
• Nephew or niece: child of a sibling.
• Cousin: child of an uncle or aunt.

Use a family-tree diagram

Place older generations above younger generations. Draw a horizontal line for siblings and a vertical line for parent-child relationships. Mark male and female people as soon as their gender is known, but do not guess gender from a name or an unstated relationship.

Generation levels

• Parents, uncles, and aunts are one generation above a person.
• Siblings, cousins, and spouses are in the same generation.
• Children, nephews, and nieces are one generation below a person.
• Grandparents and grandchildren are two generations apart.

How to read common clues

• “My mother's brother” means maternal uncle.
• “Her father's daughter” may be her or her sister, depending on other clues.
• “Only son” or “only daughter” gives a strong restriction on siblings.
• “Wife of” or “husband of” adds a marital relation, not a blood relation.
• Always trace the statement one relationship at a time.

A reliable solving method

1. Identify the reference person and start a small family tree.
2. Write each relation as a direct connection.
3. Mark gender only where the clue establishes it.
4. Count generation changes before naming the final relation.
5. Read the question carefully: it may ask for A's relation to B, not B's relation to A.

Common mistakes

• Reversing the direction of the relationship asked.
• Confusing cousin with nephew or niece.
• Assuming that a spouse is a blood relative.
• Assigning gender where the statement does not provide it.
• Skipping an intermediate relation in a long statement.

Quick revision summary

• Draw the family tree instead of solving only in your head.
• Track generation, gender, and direction separately.
• Trace one connection at a time.
• Use only the relationships stated in the question.