Blood Relations

Types of Relations

To solve any problem involving blood relations, we divide the relations given in the problem into the following categories:

• Paternal relations.
   
• Maternal relations.
   
• Other relations.
   

Let us understand each of these in greater detail.

Paternal Relations

Paternal relations refer to family members who are related through one's father. Refer to the table that follows to see some of the paternal relations from a person named A’s perspective

Description	Name of the Relation
Father of A’s father	A’s Grandfather
Mother of A’s father	A’s Grandmother
Brother of A’s father	A’s Uncle
Sister of A’s father	A’s Aunt
Children of A’s Uncle	A’s Cousin
Wife of A’s Uncle	A’s Aunt
Children of A’s aunt	A’s Cousin
Husband of A’s aunt	A’s Uncle

Maternal Relations

Maternal relations refer to family members who are related through one's mother. Refer to the table that follows to see some of the maternal relations from a person named A’s perspective.

Description	Name of the Relation
Father of A’s mother	A’s Maternal Grandfather
Mother of A’s mother	A’s Maternal Grandmother
Brother of A’s mother	A’s Maternal Uncle
Sister of A’s mother	A’s Maternal Aunt
Children of A’s maternal uncle	A’s Cousins
Wife of  A’s maternal uncle	A’s Maternal Aunt
Children of A’s maternal aunt	A’s Cousin
Husband of A’s maternal aunt	A’s Maternal Uncle

Other Relations

Apart from paternal and maternal relations, some other relations also exist. Refer to the table that follows to see those relations from a person named A’s perspective.

Description	Name of the Relation
The wife of A’s son	Daughter-in-law
The husband of A’s daughter	Son-in-law
Father of A’s spouse	Father-in-law
Mother of A’s spouse	Mother-in-law
Brother of A’s spouse	Brother-in-law
Sister of A’s spouse	Sister-in-law
Husband of A’s sister	Brother-in-law
Son of A’s Sibling	Nephew
Daughter of A’s Sibling	Niece

When answering questions about this topic, keep the relationships between generations in mind. Let us now look at the generations.  

Generations

When dealing with such a situation involving a family generation, always keep the individuals of the same generation at the same level. The following image depicts the hierarchy of generations.

We've learned the basics of blood relations now; let's move on to learning how to solve questions related to them.

Symbols Used for Solving Questions

The following symbols are assigned to people in the problem statement while solving blood relations problems. These symbols help us to interpret the problem and reach the solution easily.

• The symbol for a male is "+"
   
• The symbol for a female is "-"
   
• The symbol for a couple is "⇔"
   

Let us now solve some of the problems based on this topic.

Problems Based on Blood Relations

The following are the various ways blood relation questions may be asked in competitive exams.

Type 1 Statement based Questions

Problem 1

Shreya pointed towards a lady on the stage and said, "She is the sister of the son of the wife of my husband." What is the relationship between that lady and Shreya? 

Solution 1

Diagram:

Text Elaboration:

From Shreya's Perspective: 

My husband = Shreya's husband

Wife of my husband = Shreya

Son of the wife of my husband = Shreya's Son 

Sister of the Son of the wife of my husband = Her Son's Sister 

                                                                             = Her daughter 

So, the lady on the stage is Shreya's daughter. 
 

Problem 2

Pointing to John, Liza says, "I am the daughter of the only son of his grandfather." Liza is related to John in what way? (Asked in Sapient)

Solution 2

Diagram:

Text Elaboration:

Only son of John's Grandfather = John's Father

Daughter of John's Father = John's Sister

Hence, Liza is John's sister.
 

Type 2 Puzzle Type Questions

Problem 1

A family comprises a couple, their two daughters, three sons, and the wives of the three sons. What is the number of females in this family? 

Solution 1

Diagram:

Text Elaboration:

Wife of the husband = W

Three sons = Son1, Son2, Son3 

Two daughters = Daughter1, Daughter2 

Son's wives = Wife1, Wife2, Wife3

So, the total number of females = Wife + Daughter1 + Daughter2 + Wife1 + Wife2 + Wife3 

                                                        = 6 females. 
 

Problem 2

If j + k means j is the daughter of k, j - k means j is the husband of k, and j x k means j is the brother of k.
So, what does the relationship A x B - C indicate? 

(a) A is the son-in-law of C 
(b) A is the brother of C
(c) C is the wife of A 
(d) None of these.

Solution 2

Diagram:

Text elaboration:

With the help of the above diagram, we can conclude that

A is the brother-in-law of C 

We can also say that,

C is the sister-in-law of A

Hence, the answer to this question is option d.
 

Let us now address some of the frequently asked questions about blood relations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is blood relation?

A "blood relation" is any relationship in the world that is formed either by birth or by marriage.

Who all fall under the "blood relation" category?

Blood relatives include the grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, brother, and sister.

Is the father-in-law a blood relative?

Any relationship term that ends in -in-law denotes a marriage-based relationship. The father-in-law will be a blood relative of the spouse.

What are the major types of blood relations from the perspective of questions?

Paternal and maternal blood relations are the two most common types of blood relations.

How can I solve the questions about blood relations?

To solve these questions, you can make diagrams showing the relationships of all the people mentioned in the question. You must keep the generations in mind at all times.

Conclusion

In this blog, we've covered the concept of blood relations with the help of diagrams. We also learned how to differentiate between different relationships. Finally, we solved some questions related to this topic.

You can refer to the following articles to prepare for competitive exams.

• Percentages
• Dice
• General aptitude
• How to crack the aptitude test
• Important aptitude topics for placements
   

You may refer to our Guided Path on Code Studios for enhancing your skill set on DSA, Competitive Programming, System Design, etc. Check out essential interview questions, practice our available mock tests, look at the interview bundle for interview preparation, and so much more!

Happy Learning, Ninjas!