Blood Relations Notes for SSC Exams

Blood relations questions test how well you can understand family relationships from a short statement. A person is described through another person, such as "the son of my father's only brother", and you have to find the exact relation. This chapter appears in every SSC Reasoning paper and is very scoring if you know the relation chart and the family tree method. These blood relation notes for SSC explain the relations, the tree method, coded blood relations and solved examples with practice questions.

What Are Blood Relations?

• Blood relations are relations that come from birth or marriage within a family.
• You are given one or more statements about people in a family, and you have to find how two persons are related.
• Typical question formats are direct statements, pointing to a photograph, and coded relations using symbols.

Relation Chart You Must Know

Important Words and Their Meaning

• My father's only son means myself if I am male, or my brother if I am female.
• My mother's only daughter means myself if I am female, or my sister if I am male.
• Only son or only daughter tells you that there is no other brother or sister of that gender.
• Generation: parents are one generation above, grandparents two generations above, and children one generation below.

Family Tree Method

Drawing a small tree removes confusion. Use these simple symbols.

1. Start from the person who is the subject of the question.
2. Draw each relation in the order it is given in the statement.
3. Show the generation of every person by their level in the tree.
4. When gender is not given, write a question mark and decide it only if the question needs it.

Solved Examples

Example 1. Pointing to a man, Ravi says, "He is the son of my father's only son." How is the man related to Ravi?
Ravi's father's only son is Ravi himself, so the man is Ravi's son. Answer: Son.

Example 2. A is the brother of B. B is the sister of C. D is the father of C. How is D related to A?
A, B and C are brothers and sisters, and D is the father of C, so D is also the father of A. Answer: Father.

Example 3. Pointing to a man in a photograph, a woman says, "He is the son of my mother's only son." How is the man related to the woman?
Her mother's only son is her brother, and his son is her nephew. Answer: Nephew.

Example 4. If P is the brother of Q, Q is the sister of R, and R is the mother of S, how is P related to S?
P and R are brother and sister, and R is the mother of S. So P is S's maternal uncle. Answer: Maternal uncle.

Coded Blood Relations

In coded questions, symbols such as +, −, × and ÷ are given family meanings. Write the meaning next to every symbol, then convert the expression step by step.

Example 5. In a code, A + B means A is the mother of B, A − B means A is the brother of B, and A × B means A is the father of B. If P × Q − R, how is P related to R?
P is the father of Q. Q is the brother of R. So P is also the father of R. Answer: Father.

Example 6. In a code, A + B means A is the sister of B, and A × B means A is the mother of B. If P × Q + R, how is P related to R?
P is the mother of Q, and Q is the sister of R, so P is the mother of R. Answer: Mother.

Quick Tips

• Break long statements into small parts and solve them from the end towards the start.
• Do not assume the gender of a person unless it is given or can be decided from the relation.
• "Only" always matters: it tells you that there is only one person of that gender.
• Identify the generation first. It removes many wrong options immediately.
• In photograph questions, "my" refers to the speaker, and "his" or "her" refers to the person in the photograph.

Quick Revision Points

• Father's brother is the paternal uncle, and mother's brother is the maternal uncle.
• The children of uncles and aunts are cousins.
• Brother's or sister's children are nephew and niece.
• Spouse's brother or sister is brother-in-law or sister-in-law.
• In coded relations, write the meaning of every symbol first.

Practice Questions With Answers

1. Introducing a man, a woman says, "He is the only son of my mother's mother." How is the man related to the woman?
   Answer: Maternal uncle.
2. A is the brother of B. B is the sister of C. C is the father of D. How is A related to D?
   Answer: Uncle (father's brother).
3. Pointing to a girl in a photograph, Amit says, "Her mother is the only daughter of my mother." How is the girl related to Amit?
   Answer: Niece (his sister's daughter).
4. P is the brother of Q. Q is the sister of R. R is the mother of S. How is P related to S?
   Answer: Maternal uncle.
5. How is the son of your father's brother related to you?
   Answer: Cousin.
6. X says, "Y is the son of my mother's brother." How is Y related to X's mother?
   Answer: Nephew (her brother's son).
7. If P × Q + R, where A × B means A is the mother of B and A + B means A is the sister of B, how is P related to R?
   Answer: Mother.
8. Ram is the father of Shyam. Shyam is the brother of Geeta. Geeta is the mother of Rina. How is Ram related to Rina?
   Answer: Maternal grandfather.
9. Pointing to a man, Neha says, "His mother is the only daughter of my mother." How is the man related to Neha?
   Answer: Son (his mother is Neha herself).
10. A is the father of B, and B is the sister of C. How is A related to C?
    Answer: Father.

How to Practise This Chapter

Solve five blood relation questions daily and draw a family tree for each one. After a week, try timed sets from our practice papers and see how the topic appears in actual exams on the previous year papers page. Read Classification before this chapter and Direction Test after it.

Explore More SSC Subjects

SSC exams test many subjects, so connect this topic with the related subjects below:

• Quantitative Aptitude Notes
• English Notes
• General Awareness Notes
• Computer Knowledge Notes
• Stenography Notes
• All SSC subjects and notes

Frequently Asked Questions

What are blood relations in reasoning?

Blood relations is a reasoning topic in which family relationships are described through statements, and you have to find the exact relation between two persons.

How many blood relation questions come in SSC exams?

Usually two to three questions come from blood relations in the Reasoning section of SSC CGL, CHSL, MTS and GD papers, but the exact number varies every year.

What is the best method to solve blood relation questions?

The best method is to draw a small family tree. Mark males and females with symbols, show generations by level, and read the question from the starting person.

What is the difference between paternal and maternal relations?

Paternal relations belong to the father's side of the family, and maternal relations belong to the mother's side. For example, father's brother is the paternal uncle, and mother's brother is the maternal uncle.

Who is a cousin?

A cousin is the son or daughter of your uncle or aunt, whether on the father's or the mother's side.

What does "my father's only son" mean?

It means the speaker himself if the speaker is male, or the speaker's brother if the speaker is female. The word "only" shows there is no other son.

How do I solve coded blood relations?

Write down the meaning of each symbol, replace the symbols one pair at a time, and convert every pair into a relation. Finally, join the relations to get the answer.

What is the difference between a nephew and a niece?

A nephew is the son of your brother or sister, and a niece is the daughter of your brother or sister.

How do I find the relation when the gender is not given?

If the gender is not given and the answer depends on it, the option usually uses a gender-neutral word such as "cousin" or "sibling". Choose the option that fits both possibilities.

Why do students make mistakes in blood relation questions?

The common reasons are solving mentally without a diagram, missing the word "only", mixing paternal and maternal sides, and assuming gender without evidence.

How much time should I spend on one question?

Aim to spend 30 to 45 seconds per question. Longer statements may need a minute, but draw the tree quickly instead of thinking in your head.

Are puzzle-type blood relation questions asked in SSC?

Yes. Sometimes a short puzzle with several people and relations is given, and you have to find the relation of two persons. The family tree method works for these too.

Is blood relation a scoring topic?

Yes. Once you know the relation chart and practise drawing trees, most questions can be solved in under a minute, which makes it a scoring topic.