Blood Relations and Family-Tree Puzzles — RRB NTPC Study Notes
Overview
Blood relations questions test your ability to decode family relationships through verbal descriptions and logical reasoning. In RRB NTPC, expect 2–4 questions on this topic in the General Intelligence and Reasoning section. These problems appear deceptively simple but require careful attention to gender, generation gaps, and relationship chains.
The core skill is translating English relationship terms (brother, sister-in-law, maternal uncle, paternal grandmother) into a mental family tree, then answering "How is X related to Y?" Most mistakes happen when students rush through pronouns (he/she) or confuse maternal vs. paternal sides. Mastering standard relationship vocabulary and drawing quick diagrams will ensure you score full marks on these questions within 30–45 seconds each.
Family-tree puzzles extend this concept by presenting multiple clues about a larger family and asking you to determine specific relationships. Both question types reward systematic diagram-drawing over mental guesswork.
Key Concepts
- **Direct relations**: Father, mother, son, daughter, brother, sister, husband, wife. These form the foundation of all other relationships.
- **One-generation extended relations**: Uncle (father's or mother's brother), aunt (father's or mother's sister), nephew (brother's or sister's son), niece (brother's or sister's daughter). Always distinguish paternal (father's side) from maternal (mother's side).
- **Two-generation relations**: Grandfather, grandmother, grandson, granddaughter, great-grandfather, great-grandson. Count the generation jumps carefully.
- **In-law relations**: Created by marriage. Brother-in-law (spouse's brother OR sister's husband), sister-in-law (spouse's sister OR brother's wife), father-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law.
- **Cousin relations**: Children of your uncle or aunt are your cousins. The exam rarely goes beyond first cousins but may test whether you recognize "my father's brother's son" as "my cousin."
- **Gender sensitivity**: "Only son" means no brothers. "Only child" means no siblings at all. "Only daughter" means no sisters but may have brothers. Read carefully.
- **Chain principle**: If A is B's father and B is C's mother, then A is C's maternal grandfather. Break complex statements into step-by-step links.
- **Symmetry check**: If X is Y's brother, then Y is X's brother or sister (depending on Y's gender). Use this to verify your answer.