Understanding Blood Relation Problems
Blood Relation questions test your ability to decode family relationships from a given description or coded information. SSC CGL typically gives 1-2 questions from this topic.
Key family relationships to memorize:
- Grandfather/Grandmother → Father/Mother → Son/Daughter (vertical chain)
- Father's brother = Uncle | Father's sister = Aunt
- Uncle's/Aunt's son or daughter = Cousin
- Son's wife = Daughter-in-law | Daughter's husband = Son-in-law
- Wife's/Husband's brother = Brother-in-law
- Wife's/Husband's sister = Sister-in-law
Gender indicators in coded questions:
- He/His/Him/Boy/Man/Male = Male
- She/Her/Girl/Woman/Female = Female
Memory Trick — Always draw a family tree diagram. Use upward arrows for 'parent of' and downward arrows for 'child of'. Mark gender (M/F) next to each person. This prevents confusion in multi-step problems.
Worked Example: Solving Blood Relation Problems Step by Step
Example 1: A is the son of B. C is the daughter of A. How is B related to C?
Step 1: A is son of B → B is parent of A
Step 2: C is daughter of A → A is parent of C
Step 3: B → A → C: B is grandparent of C. Since gender of B is not specified, B is grandfather or grandmother. Answer: Grandfather/Grandmother.
Example 2: Pointing to a photograph, Ravi says, 'She is the daughter of my grandfather's only son.' How is the girl related to Ravi?
Step 1: Ravi's grandfather's only son = Ravi's father (assuming Ravi's grandfather had one son)
Step 2: Daughter of Ravi's father = Ravi's sister
Answer: Sister
Example 3: Coded — A+B means A is father of B; A-B means A is mother of B; A×B means A is brother of B. If P+Q-R, what is P to R?
P+Q: P is father of Q. Q-R: Q is mother of R. So P's wife Q is mother of R. P is father of R. Answer: Father.
⚡ Speed Tricks & Shortcuts
- Draw a family tree; mark male (+) / female (−); use horizontal for siblings/spouse, vertical for parent–child.
- 'Mother's brother' = maternal uncle; 'father's sister' = paternal aunt.
- For coded relations, decode the innermost bracket first.
Guessing gender from a name — rely only on the relationship words given, never the name.
Blood Relations — Revision Notes
Quick-revision notes for Blood Relations — the must-know points for SSC CGL Tier-I/II.
- Blood-relation questions describe family links; solve by drawing a family tree with symbols for gender and generation.
- Use a simple key: + for male, − for female, = or ↔ for married couple, and a vertical line for parent-child.
- "Pointing/photograph" puzzles: read the sentence from the far end backward to reach the speaker (e.g. "his father's son").
- Coded blood relations use symbols (A+B means A is father of B); decode each symbol before building relations.
- Maternal vs paternal: track whether a person connects through the mother's or father's side for uncle/aunt questions.
- Only one generation up/down changes at a time — never jump generations without a stated link.
Blood Relations — Flashcards (SSC CGL)
Cover the answer, recall, then check. 6 cards on the must-know Blood Relations facts for SSC CGL.
Q1. "Pointing to a man, a woman said, He is the son of my father." Who is he to her?
A1. Her brother — "son of my father" is her brother.
Q2. How do you solve a "his father's son" phrase?
A2. Read it backward: father's son = the man himself (if only child) or his brother; simplify from the innermost relation outward.
Q3. If A + B means A is the mother of B, and B + C, how is A related to C?
A3. A is the grandmother of C (mother of C's mother/father B).
Q4. Best tool for a multi-person family puzzle?
A4. A family tree diagram with gender signs (+/−) and generation levels.
Q5. Your maternal uncle is whose brother?
A5. Your mother's brother.
Q6. "Only son of my mother's husband" — who is it (spoken by a man)?
A6. The speaker himself (his mother's husband is his father; the only son is himself).