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Quantitative Aptitude · Blood Relations

Direct Relationship Questions in Blood Relations (CA Foundation)

Updated 1 October 2026

A direct blood relation question gives a short chain of statements, such as 'A is the father of B', and asks how two persons are related. Solve it by turning each statement into a link, tracing generation and gender step by step, and naming the final relation from the first person's side.

Understand Direct Relationship Questions

Blood relation questions test whether you can read a family link correctly. You are given a few facts about people and asked one thing: how is X related to Y? In a direct question, the facts form a single chain. There is no coding and no big family tree.

Every relation carries two pieces of information: generation (older, same or younger) and gender (male or female). Father means one generation up and male. Sister means the same generation and female. Your job is to track both through the chain.

The key trap is direction. 'A is the father of B' means B is the child of A. 'How is A related to B?' and 'How is B related to A?' have different answers. Always ask yourself: the answer is the relation of whom, to whom?

Photograph questions are the most common direct type. A person points to a photo and says, 'He is the son of my father's only son.' Work from the speaker. 'My father's only son' is the speaker himself (or the speaker's brother if the speaker is female). Then handle the next link. Read the sentence from the back to the front, or break it into small pieces.

Some terms do not fix gender: cousin, parent, child, sibling, spouse and in-law. If the data does not fix the gender, the answer may be 'cannot be determined', and that can be a valid option.

Key formulas to remember

Parents' side, one generation up
Father or mother = parent. Father's/mother's father = grandfather. Father's/mother's mother = grandmother
Going up one step at a time keeps the generation count correct.
Siblings of parents
Father's brother = paternal uncle. Mother's brother = maternal uncle. Father's sister = paternal aunt. Mother's sister = maternal aunt
Uncle and aunt are one generation above you. Their children are your cousins.
Children of parents
Parent's son = brother (or yourself). Parent's daughter = sister (or yourself)
Check whether the speaker's own gender allows 'yourself'. 'My father's only son' is me if I am male.
Children of siblings
Brother's son = nephew. Brother's daughter = niece. Sister's son = nephew. Sister's daughter = niece
Nephew and niece are one generation below you.
Spouse's family
Spouse's father = father-in-law. Spouse's mother = mother-in-law. Spouse's brother = brother-in-law. Spouse's sister = sister-in-law
Sister's husband and husband's brother are also brothers-in-law. Check the exact link.
Children's spouses
Son's wife = daughter-in-law. Daughter's husband = son-in-law
These sit one generation below you.
Grandchildren
Son's or daughter's son = grandson. Son's or daughter's daughter = granddaughter
Two generations below you.
Direction rule
'A is the P of B' means A is B's P, and B is the reverse relation of A. For example, if P = father, then B is A's child
The reverse relation depends on P and on B's gender. If P = brother, B may be A's brother or sister. State the answer from the viewpoint the question asks for.

How to solve Direct Relationship Questions questions

Use this method for any direct blood relation question. Take it one link at a time and write short notes on your rough sheet.

  1. 1Read the last sentence first and note exactly what is asked: the relation of whom to whom.
  2. 2Identify the speaker or the starting person. In photograph questions, this is 'I' or 'my'.
  3. 3Break the statement into small links. Split 'the son of my father's only son' into: my father, his only son, that person's son.
  4. 4Resolve each link, writing its generation and gender. Mark known genders, such as father (male).
  5. 5Watch for the 'only' trap. 'My father's only son' means me if I am male. If I am female, it means my brother.
  6. 6Join the links to find how the target person stands to the starting person.
  7. 7Reverse the direction if the question asks the opposite way, and fix the gender if given.
  8. 8Check the answer against all four options, and pick 'cannot be determined' only if gender or link is truly open.

Quickest way: Short-notation chain with generation count

When to use it: Use it in the 2-hour MCQ paper when a question looks wordy and you want an answer in under a minute.

  1. Write the starting person as a letter, say S, and draw a small tick for each link: F for father, M for mother, B for brother, Sis for sister, So for son, D for daughter.
  2. Use + for male and − for female beside each letter. Add a small up or down arrow for generation.
  3. Cancel pairs. Father's son (male) = brother or self. Mother's husband = father. Son's father = self (if male) or husband (if female).
  4. Count generations: two ups = grandparent side, one up with same-sex sibling = uncle or aunt, one down = child or nephew or niece.
  5. Match the result to the options. Eliminate options with the wrong generation first, then the wrong gender.
  6. If gender is missing and two options differ only by gender, check whether 'cannot be determined' is offered. If not, re-read for hidden gender clues.
  7. Skip a question if the chain exceeds five links and you are unsure. A wrong answer costs 0.25 marks.

Common mistakes in Direct Relationship Questions

  • Reversing the direction of the relation

    'A is the father of B' is mistaken for 'A is the son of B' while rushing.

    Fix: Underline the person who comes after 'of'. That person is the one defined by the relation. Say the sentence aloud in your head: B's father is A.

  • Treating 'my father's only son' as a different person

    Students think a new person has been introduced.

    Fix: If you are male, it is you. If you are female, it is your brother. Decide with the speaker's gender.

  • Assigning gender to neutral words

    Words like cousin, child, parent, sibling and spouse do not give gender, but students assume one.

    Fix: Assign gender only when the data gives it. Otherwise the answer may be 'cannot be determined' or a neutral relation like cousin.

  • Confusing paternal and maternal sides

    Father's brother and mother's brother are both 'uncle', so students stop thinking about the side.

    Fix: Keep the side in your notes. Options often differ only in paternal or maternal, so check it.

  • Skipping a generation step

    Long chains hide a link such as 'mother's mother'.

    Fix: Count the arrows. Two ups is grandparent level. Two downs is grandchild level. Make sure the answer matches.

  • Answering from the wrong person's viewpoint

    The question asks how the pointed person relates to the speaker, but the student gives the reverse.

    Fix: Rewrite the final question as 'X is the ___ of Y' before you look at the options.

Worked examples

Example 1

Pointing to a man in a photograph, Ritu said, 'His mother is the only daughter of my mother.' How is Ritu related to the man? (A) Mother (B) Sister (C) Aunt (D) Grandmother

Show the solution
  1. The only daughter of Ritu's mother is Ritu herself (the only daughter must be Ritu, since Ritu is the speaker and the mother's daughter).
  2. So the man's mother is Ritu.
  3. The man is therefore Ritu's son.
  4. The question asks how Ritu relates to the man. Ritu is his mother.

Answer: (A) Mother

Example 2

A says, 'B is the son of my father's only brother.' How is B related to A? (A) Brother (B) Cousin (C) Nephew (D) Uncle

Show the solution
  1. 'My father's only brother' is A's paternal uncle.
  2. B is the son of A's paternal uncle.
  3. The uncle is one generation above A, so B, his son, is in A's generation.
  4. A child of an uncle is a cousin. Brother would need B to be a son of A's own father.

Answer: (B) Cousin

Example 3

Pointing to a girl, Mohan said, 'She is the daughter of my paternal grandfather's only son.' How is the girl related to Mohan? (A) Sister (B) Cousin (C) Niece (D) Mother

Show the solution
  1. Mohan's paternal grandfather is his father's father.
  2. The grandfather's only son is therefore Mohan's father.
  3. The girl is the daughter of Mohan's father, so she is Mohan's sister.
  4. Check the options. Cousin would need a different parent. Niece and mother are in the wrong generation.

Answer: (A) Sister

Exam tips

  • Read the final question twice. Many wrong answers come from giving the reverse relation.
  • Eliminate by generation first. It removes about half of the options in seconds.
  • Watch the word 'only'. It often means the person is the speaker or the speaker's sibling.
  • Do not assume gender. If an option says 'cannot be determined', check it seriously before rejecting it.
  • With 0.25 negative marking, skip a chain with many unclear links, and return if time remains.

Practice questions from Blood Relations

Direct Relationship Questions: frequently asked questions

What is a direct relationship question in blood relations?

It is a question where a single chain of statements links two persons, and you must name the relation between them. There is no code and no large family. Example: 'A is the father of B' and 'B is the sister of C'.

How do I solve photograph blood relation questions?

Start from the speaker and break the sentence into small links. Resolve each one with generation and gender. Remember that 'my father's only son' is the speaker if male, or the speaker's brother if female.

How do I find the relation between two persons quickly?

Write short notes with letters, male or female signs and up or down arrows for generation. Cancel pairs and match the result to the options. Remove options with the wrong generation first.

When is the answer 'cannot be determined'?

It is correct when the data does not fix gender or a needed link. For example, if you only know that A is the child of B, you cannot say son or daughter. Use it only when the facts truly leave this open.