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Blood Relations & Family Trees for IBPS PO

Master blood relation problems including family tree puzzles and coded blood relations. Learn shortcut tricks, symbols, and solved examples for the Reasoning section.

What are Blood Relations?

Blood Relations is an important topic in the IBPS PO Reasoning section. Typically, 3 to 5 questions are asked from this topic in Prelims and Mains exams. These questions test your ability to understand and analyze family relationships.

In blood relation questions, you are given information about how family members are related to each other (e.g., "A is the brother of B", "C is the mother of D"). You need to determine the relationship between two given persons or answer questions about the family structure.

Why this topic matters: Blood relation questions are scoring and can be solved quickly using family tree diagrams. With practice, you can solve 4-5 questions in under 4 minutes.

Basic Family Relations and Symbols

Here are the common family relations and the symbols used to represent them in family tree diagrams:

RelationSymbolRepresentation in Family Tree
FatherFMale, one generation above
MotherMFemale, one generation above
BrotherBMale, same generation
SisterSFemale, same generation
HusbandHMale spouse
WifeWFemale spouse
SonSoMale, one generation below
DaughterDFemale, one generation below
GrandfatherGFMale, two generations above
GrandmotherGMFemale, two generations above
UncleUFather's/Mother's brother
AuntAFather's/Mother's sister
CousinCUncle/Aunt's child, same generation

Types of Blood Relation Questions

  • Direct Blood Relations: Simple statements like "A is the father of B". Directly find the relationship between two persons.
  • Puzzle Based Blood Relations: Multiple statements that create a family tree. You need to draw the tree first.
  • Coded Blood Relations: Relations are given using symbols or codes (e.g., A + B means A is the brother of B).
  • Mixed Blood Relations: Combines blood relations with other topics like seating arrangement or puzzles.

Family Tree Method: Step-by-Step Approach

Step 1: Use Standard Symbols

Use + for male, - for female, = for married couple, | for parent-child connection.

Step 2: Start with a Base Person

Choose a person mentioned in multiple statements as your reference point.

Step 3: Draw Vertically by Generation

Place older generations above, younger generations below. Same generation in the same row.

Step 4: Connect with Horizontal Lines for Marriage

Use (=) or double line to show husband-wife relationship.

Step 5: Connect Vertically for Parent-Child

Use vertical lines (|) to show parent-child relationships.

Standard Notation for Family Tree:
+ (male) - (female) = (married) | (parent-child)

Example: A + = B - means A (male) is married to B (female). Then C | means C is child of A and B.

Shortcut Tricks for Blood Relations

Trick 1: Use Generational Levels

Assign generation numbers: +2 for grandparents, +1 for parents, 0 for self, -1 for children, -2 for grandchildren.

Trick 2: Remember Common Relationships

Father's brother = Uncle, Mother's sister = Aunt, Brother's son = Nephew, Sister's daughter = Niece.

Trick 3: For Coded Relations, Write the Decoding Table First

Before solving, note down what each symbol means (e.g., A + B = A is brother of B).

Trick 4: Work Backwards

Sometimes it's easier to start from the person whose relationship is asked and work backwards to the known person.

Solved Example 1: Direct Blood Relation

Question:

Pointing to a photograph, a man said, "She is the daughter of the only son of my father's wife." How is the woman in the photograph related to the man?

Solution:

Step 1: Break down the statement: "My father's wife" = My mother.
Step 2: "Only son of my mother" = The man himself (only son means no brothers).
Step 3: "Daughter of the only son" = Daughter of the man.
Step 4: So the woman is the daughter of the man.
Answer: The woman is the man's daughter.

Solved Example 2: Family Tree Puzzle

Question:

A family has 6 members: P, Q, R, S, T, U. P is the father of Q. R is the mother of Q. S is the brother of P. T is the daughter of R. U is the son of S. How is T related to U?

Solution:

Step 1 - Draw Family Tree:
P + = R - (married couple)
|
Q (child of P and R)
Also T is daughter of R → T is also child of P and R (sibling of Q)
S is brother of P → S is male, sibling of P
U is son of S → U is male child of S
Step 2 - Find relationship: T and U: T is child of P, U is child of S. P and S are brothers. So T and U are cousins.
Answer: T is the cousin of U.

Solved Example 3: Coded Blood Relation

Question:

Directions: A + B means A is the father of B. A - B means A is the mother of B. A × B means A is the brother of B. A ÷ B means A is the sister of B.
If P + Q × R - S, how is P related to S?

Solution:

Step 1 - Decode each part:
P + Q → P is father of Q.
Q × R → Q is brother of R. So R is also child of P (since Q is child of P and Q and R are siblings). R could be male or female? Brother means Q is male, R could be male or female.
R - S → R is mother of S.
Step 2 - Draw tree:
P (male) has child Q (male) and child R (female because R is mother). R has child S.
Step 3 - Find relationship: P is grandfather of S (father of R, who is mother of S).
Answer: P is the grandfather of S.

Quick Reference: Common Relationships

Relation from Person A to Person BHow to Express
Father's fatherGrandfather
Father's motherGrandmother
Father's brotherUncle
Father's sisterAunt
Mother's brotherUncle (Maternal)
Mother's sisterAunt (Maternal)
Brother's sonNephew
Brother's daughterNiece
Sister's sonNephew
Sister's daughterNiece
Uncle's son/daughterCousin
Wife's fatherFather-in-law
Wife's motherMother-in-law
Husband's fatherFather-in-law
Husband's motherMother-in-law
Wife's brotherBrother-in-law
Husband's sisterSister-in-law

Practice Questions for Self-Assessment

Practice Question 1:

Pointing to a man, a woman said, "He is the only son of my mother's only daughter." How is the woman related to the man?

Practice Question 2 (Family Tree):

A, B, C, D, E, F are six members of a family. A is the father of B. C is the sister of B. D is the mother of C. E is the brother of A. F is the son of E. How is D related to F?

Practice Question 3 (Coded):

If A @ B means A is the wife of B, A # B means A is the son of B, A $ B means A is the father of B. Then P @ Q $ R # S. How is P related to S?

Answers: Q1: Mother | Q2: Aunt (D is sister of A, F is son of E, and E is brother of A, so D is aunt of F) | Q3: Mother-in-law

Frequently Asked Questions about Blood Relations

Q1: How many questions come from Blood Relations in IBPS PO?
Typically, 3 to 5 questions are asked from Blood Relations in both Prelims and Mains.
Q2: What is the best way to solve blood relation questions?
Drawing a family tree diagram is the most reliable method. Use standard symbols (+ for male, - for female, = for marriage, | for parent-child).
Q3: What are coded blood relations?
In coded blood relations, relationships are represented using symbols or letters (e.g., A + B means A is the brother of B). You need to decode first.
Q4: How to handle "only child" or "only son" clues?
"Only son" means no other sons. "Only daughter" means no other daughters. "Only child" means no siblings.
Q5: What is the difference between maternal and paternal relations?
Maternal relations are from mother's side (maternal uncle = mother's brother). Paternal relations are from father's side (paternal uncle = father's brother).
Q6: Can blood relations be combined with other topics?
Yes, in IBPS PO Mains, blood relations are often combined with puzzles or seating arrangement to create complex questions.

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