Relationships: Notes और MCQ Practice

General Intelligence and Reasoning • RRB NTPC UG

आसान भाषा में:

Blood Relations के सवाल आपकी Family Tree trace करने की क्षमता को check करते हैं। इसमें दो या अधिक व्यक्तियों के बीच indirect रिश्ते दिए होते हैं, और आपको direct Relation ढूंढना होता है। RRB NTPC में यहाँ से 2-3 सवाल पक्के आते हैं!

Core Rules & Family Tree Symbols:

Family Tree बनाते समय हमेशा standard symbols का use करें:

Gender: Male के लिए [+] और Female के लिए [-]
Couple (Spouse): Double headed arrow (<-> या =) जैसे: Father = Mother
Siblings (भाई-बहन): Single dash (—) जैसे: Brother — Sister
Generation Gap: Vertical line (|)
Sides का ध्यान रखें:
Father's side = Paternal (चाचा/ताऊ/बुआ)
Mother's side = Maternal (मामा/मौसी)
Spouse's Siblings / Sibling's Spouse: Brother-in-law (साला/जीजा/देवर), Sister-in-law (साली/भाभी/ननद)

2 Quick Exam Tricks:

Self-Placement Method (खुद पर लागू करें): "Pointing to a photograph..." वाले सवाल में खुद को speaker की जगह रखें। सवाल को Backwards (पीछे से) solve करें: "My mother's only son..." = मैं खुद!
Break into Small Parts: लंबे statements को तोड़ लें। जैसे: "He is [the son of] [the only daughter of] [my grandfather]" — step-by-step simplify करें।

2 Common Mistakes (सावधान रहें!):

Name से Gender assume करना: जब तक question में स्पष्ट 'He/She' या रिश्ता न लिखा हो, नाम देखकर (जैसे Sonu, Suman) Gender decide न करें।
Direction of Relation उल्टा पढ़ना: सवाल में पूछा है "How is A related to B?" और बच्चे mark कर आते हैं "B is related to A" का answer! हमेशा पहले व्यक्ति (A) का रिश्ता बताना होता है।

Blood Relations (Relationships) - Study Notes

1. Concept

Blood Relations tests your ability to trace family linkages and identify relationships between two or more individuals based on given statements.

In competitive exams like RRB NTPC, questions generally fall into three categories:

Pointing / Deciphering-based: A person points to a photograph or introduces someone by describing their family connection.
Coded Blood Relations: Relations are represented using arithmetic or symbolic operators (e.g., A + B means A is the brother of B).
Family Tree / Puzzle-based: A short paragraph describes connections among several members of a family, followed by questions.

2. Important Rules, Symbols, and Facts

Standard Family Tree Symbols

To solve questions quickly without confusion, always draw a family tree using uniform symbols:

Male: Represented by [+] or a square.
Female: Represented by [-] or a circle.
Spouse / Married Couple: Connected by a double horizontal line (=).
Siblings (Brothers/Sisters): Connected by a single horizontal line (-).
Generations (Parent to Child): Connected by a vertical line (|).

Generation Levels

Generation +2 (Grandparents): Grandfather, Grandmother (Paternal / Maternal)
Generation +1 (Parents' generation): Father, Mother, Uncle, Aunt, Father-in-law, Mother-in-law
Generation 0 (Self / Same generation): Self, Brother, Sister, Husband, Wife, Cousin, Brother-in-law, Sister-in-law
Generation -1 (Children's generation): Son, Daughter, Nephew, Niece, Son-in-law, Daughter-in-law
Generation -2 (Grandchildren): Grandson, Granddaughter

Key Terms & Facts to Remember

Paternal: Related from father's side (e.g., Paternal Uncle = Father's brother).
Maternal: Related from mother's side (e.g., Maternal Uncle = Mother's brother).
Only son: Does NOT mean the parent has only one child; they may still have daughters. It only means there is no other son.
Only child: Means the parent has exactly one child (no brothers, no sisters).
Cousin: Child of one's aunt or uncle. Note: In formal English, terms like "cousin brother" or "cousin sister" are incorrect; the relation is simply "Cousin".
Nephew / Niece: Nephew is a brother's or sister's son; Niece is a brother's or sister's daughter.
In-laws: Related by marriage (e.g., Spouse's sister = Sister-in-law; Brother's wife = Sister-in-law).

3. Solved Examples (Exam Style)

Example 1: Pointing-Based

Question: Pointing to a photograph, Rohit said, "She is the daughter of my grandfather's only son." How is the girl in the photograph related to Rohit?

Step-by-step Solution:

Break down the statement starting from "my":

"My grandfather's only son" → Rohit's grandfather has only one son, who must be Rohit's father.
"She is the daughter of [Rohit's father]" → Rohit's father's daughter.

Rohit's father's daughter is Rohit's sister.

Answer: Sister

Example 2: Coded Blood Relations

Question:

Read the information carefully:

'P + Q' means 'P is the mother of Q'
'P - Q' means 'P is the brother of Q'
'P × Q' means 'P is the father of Q'

In the expression: M × N + O - P, how is M related to P?

Step-by-step Solution:

Decode segment by segment from left to right:

M × N: M is the father of N (M is male [+], one generation above N).
N + O: N is the mother of O (N is female [-], one generation above O).
O - P: O is the brother of P (O and P are in the same generation; O is male [+]).

Trace the relationship from P to M:

O is the brother of P, and N is the mother of O, so N is also the mother of P.
M is the father of N (P's mother).

Mother's father is the Maternal Grandfather.

Answer: Maternal Grandfather

Example 3: Family Puzzle

Question: In a family of six persons—A, B, C, D, E, and F:

C is the father of A, but A is not his son.
E is the brother of C.
D is the daughter of E.
B is the brother of A.

How is D related to B?

Step-by-step Solution:

"C is the father of A, but A is not his son" → A must be the daughter of C (A is [-]).
"B is the brother of A" → B and A are siblings, both children of C. B is male [+].
"E is the brother of C" → E is the paternal uncle of A and B.
"D is the daughter of E" → D is the child of B's uncle (E).
Uncle's child is a cousin.

Answer: Cousin

Example 4: Introduction / Dialogue-Based

Question: Introducing a woman, a man said, "Her mother is the only daughter of my mother-in-law." How is the man related to the woman?

Step-by-step Solution:

Identify the speaker: A man.
Analyze "the only daughter of my mother-in-law":

The man's mother-in-law's only daughter is the man's wife.

Substitute back into the sentence:

"Her mother is [the man's wife]."

If the woman's mother is the man's wife, then the man is the father of the woman.

Answer: Father

4. Shortcuts and Tricks

The Backtracking Technique for Pointing Questions:

Always split the sentence at the word "my" and move backwards/forwards.
Formula: [Speaker's perspective] → identify the last person → connect to the target.

Gender Elimination in Coded Relations:

If the question asks: "How is A related to B?" and A must be female, immediately eliminate any options where A's gender turns out to be male.
Look at the symbol immediately following A to quickly identify A's gender.

Generation Gap Value Method:

Assign numbers to generations: Grandparents = +2, Parents/Uncles/Aunts = +1, Self/Brother/Sister = 0, Children = -1, Grandchildren = -2.
In coded questions, sum the values between the two asked persons. If the total is +2, the answer must be Grandfather or Grandmother.

Never Guess Gender by Name:

In reasoning exams, names like "Kamal", "Suman", or "Sonu" can be male or female. Determine gender strictly from pronouns ("he/she") or defined relationships ("father/mother/sister/brother").

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

Reversing the Final Relation: Confusing "How is A related to B?" with "How is B related to A?". If A is the father of B, and the question asks "How is B related to A?", the answer is Son or Daughter, NOT Father.
Assuming "Only Son" means "Only Child": If a person says "I am the only son of my father", they can still have multiple sisters.
Assuming Gender from Spouse Clues Incorrectly: If A and B are a married couple and A is the husband, B is naturally the wife (opposite gender). Do not leave B's gender unknown in married pairs.
Mixing Paternal and Maternal Lines: Keep clear track of whether the uncle/aunt is from the father's side or the mother's side when options provide specific choices like "Maternal Uncle" vs. "Paternal Uncle".