Blood Relations for the Assam Police Constable (AB & UB) Exam
Blood Relations is a reasoning topic of the SLPRB Assam Police Constable (AB & UB) examination in which the relationship between two persons is described in words and the candidate must find how they are related. The questions need no calculation and no general knowledge, only a careful drawing of the family tree and a correct reading of the words used for relations. A candidate who draws the tree and follows it step by step almost never makes a mistake. This page explains the symbols, the words that confuse, the worked examples and the traps that cost marks. The material follows the standard reasoning reference books used for Assam recruitment examinations and is reviewed before it is published.
What the Topic Means
In this topic a few statements are given about a family, such as "A is the brother of B" or "C is the daughter of D", and a question follows about how two of the persons are related. The task is to build the family tree from the statements and then read the required relation from it. The words brother, sister, father, mother, son, daughter, husband, wife, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, cousin, grandfather and grandmother are the building blocks.
Symbols for the Family Tree
- A plus sign or an equals sign is used for a married couple.
- A vertical line is used for parent and child, with the parent above and the child below.
- A double line is used for brothers and sisters, drawn sideways.
- The male names are placed inside squares and the female names inside circles.
- A small arrow may show the direction in which the relation is asked.
Generation Counting
The cleanest method is to count generations. A grandparent and grandchild differ by two generations, a parent and child differ by one generation, and husband and wife are in the same generation. Brothers and sisters are in the same generation. When the question asks how two persons are related, first fix their generations, because two persons in the same generation cannot be uncle and nephew, and two persons in different generations cannot be cousins of the same kind. This single check removes most confusion.
Words That Confuse
- Maternal and paternal: the mother's side is maternal and the father's side is paternal.
- Father-in-law and son-in-law, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law are relations created by marriage, not by birth.
- Nephew and niece are the children of one's brother or sister.
- Uncle and aunt include both the father's brother or sister and the mother's brother or sister.
- Cousin means the child of one's uncle or aunt, and a cousin may be a cousin-brother or a cousin-sister.
Worked Examples
Example one: pointing to a photograph a man says, "She is the daughter of my grandfather's only son." The grandfather's only son is the man's own father, so the daughter is the man's sister. Example two: "A is the brother of B, B is the sister of C, and C is the father of D." Here A and B and C are brothers and sisters, so A is the uncle of D. Example three: "P is the mother of Q, Q is the brother of R, and R is the daughter of S." Here P is female, Q and R are her children, and S, the father of R, is her husband, so S is the husband of P.
How This Topic Appears in the Examination
The topic usually appears as two to four objective questions of one mark each. The common forms are a short puzzle of statements, a coded relation puzzle in which symbols stand for relations, and a photograph or pointer question. All of them are answered by drawing the family tree neatly on the rough sheet.
Shortcuts and Speed Methods
- Draw the tree as you read, do not try to keep it in the head.
- Mark male and female clearly to avoid a wrong answer about the sex.
- Count the generations before naming the relation.
- Work from the person who is described in the most detail.
- For coded puzzles, write the meaning of each symbol at the top before starting.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Not marking whether a person is male or female.
- Confusing the mother's brother with the father's brother.
- Assuming that a cousin is a brother or a sister by birth.
- Forgetting that relations by marriage are counted differently.
- Drawing the tree in a hurry and joining the wrong pair.
Preparation Plan
- Learn the symbols and the standard words of relation.
- Practise drawing family trees for twenty statements a day.
- Solve coded relation puzzles separately.
- Always mark the sex of every person in the tree.
- Revise the confusing words listed on this page once a week.
More Practice Questions
- If the son of my mother's brother is X, then X is my cousin-brother.
- If the daughter of my father's sister is Y, then Y is my cousin-sister.
- If a woman is the wife of my father's only brother, she is my aunt by marriage.
- If a man is the son of my grandmother's only daughter, he is my brother.
- If the sister of my husband is Z, then Z is my sister-in-law.
Quick Revision Checklist
- Symbols for marriage, parent-child and siblings.
- Generation counting for the relation.
- Maternal and paternal sides.
- Relations by marriage and their names.
- Always mark the sex of every person.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is blood relations in reasoning?
Blood relations is a reasoning topic in which the relation between two persons is described in words, and the candidate must find how they are related by drawing a family tree.
What is the best method to solve blood relations?
Draw the family tree on the rough sheet as you read the statements, mark male and female clearly, and count the generations before naming the relation.
What is the difference between maternal and paternal?
The mother's side of the family is called maternal and the father's side is called paternal. A maternal uncle is the mother's brother and a paternal uncle is the father's brother.
Are uncle and aunt relations by birth?
An uncle or aunt is a brother or sister of one's father or mother and is related by birth, but an uncle or aunt can also come by marriage when they marry into the family.
How do I avoid mistakes in blood relations?
Mark the sex of every person, count the generations, and never keep the tree only in the head. Drawing it on paper is the surest way to the right answer.