Blood relation questions are among competitive exams' most essential and frequently asked topics. These questions test your ability to determine the relationship between two or more people based on the information given in the question. Blood relation questions are asked in various exams, including bank, government, and other competitive exams. 

Many organisations worldwide conduct competitive exams to select the most suitable candidates. These exams include challenging questions that assess the individual's skills in various areas. While other sections of competitive exams assess academic knowledge, verbal ability, and aptitude skills, the reasoning section evaluates the logical reasoning ability of candidates. This section is divided into two categories: Non-Verbal Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning, covering various topics, including blood relations. 

Blood relation questions aim to establish the relationship between an individual and other family members. A family tree is provided, and questions are formulated based on it. To perform well, it is recommended to understand the various types of relationships that exist within a family. This will decrease the time required to solve these questions. Blood relation questions are recurring and require significant practice. 

This blog will explain these questions' concepts and provide various tips and tricks to excel in this topic.

Types of Blood Relation Questions

There are various types of blood relation questions asked in competitive exams, some of which are listed below:

Family tree-based questions

These types of questions are based on a person's family tree or a group of people. The questions require you to identify the relationship between the people in the family tree.

Family tree-based questions typically visually represent a person's ancestry, including their parents, grandparents, siblings, children, and other relatives. These questions can be asked in various contexts, such as genealogy research, legal proceedings, or casual conversation.

To answer family tree-based questions, you need to understand the relationships between the people listed in the tree. For example, if the tree shows a person's father and mother, you can infer that their siblings are their brothers and sisters. Similarly, if the tree shows a person's grandparents, you can infer that their parents are the children of those grandparents.

Some common family tree-based questions include:

• Who is the person's father/mother?
• Who are the person's siblings?
• Who are the person's grandparents?
• Who are the person's aunts/uncles?
• Who are the person's cousins?

Coded blood relation questions

In these types of questions, the relationships between the people are coded using different symbols or letters. You have to decode the symbols or letters to identify the relationship between the people.

In a family, A is the father of B, and C is the brother of D. If E is the wife of B, what is the relationship between C and E?

Solution:

Here, we need to decode the relationships. Let's assume that the symbol '+' means 'married to', '-' means 'father of', and '*' means 'brother of'. So, the given information can be decoded as follows:

A - B + E

C * D

Now, we need to find the relationship between C and E. Since there is no direct information about their relationship, we need to use the information about other family members.

From the first equation, we know that B is married to E. From the second equation, we know that D is the brother of C. Therefore, E is the sister-in-law of C.

Answer: E is the sister-in-law of C.

In a family, A is the husband of B, and C is the son of A. D is the mother of E, who is the wife of C. What is the relationship between D and B?

Solution:

Let's decode the relationships as follows:

A + B

A - C

D - E

C + E

Now, we need to find the relationship between D and B. Since there is no direct information about their relationship, we need to use the information about other family members.

From the first equation, we know that B is married to A. From the second equation, we know that A is the father of C. From the fourth equation, we know that E is the wife of C. Therefore, C is the son of A, and B is the wife of A.

We can use the third equation to find the relationship between D and B. Since E is C's wife and D is E's mother, we can say that D is the mother-in-law of C. And since B is A's wife, D is A's mother-in-law. Therefore, D is the mother-in-law of B.

Mixed blood relation questions

Mixed blood relation questions combine family tree-based and coded blood relation questions.

Here are a few examples of mixed blood relation questions.

• In a family, a man has two sons and a daughter. One son is his biological child, and the other is adopted. The daughter is his stepdaughter. What is the relationship between the two brothers?
• John's father is Chinese, and his mother is Irish. What is John's ethnicity?
• A woman's mother is half-Indian and half-French. Her father is half-Chinese and half-German. What is the woman's ethnicity?
• In a family, a man has a sister married to another man. The husband's brother is married to the man's wife's sister. What is the relationship between the man and his sister's brother-in-law?
• In a family, a woman has a daughter and a son. The woman's husband is the son's biological father, not the daughter's. What is the relationship between the daughter and the son?
• In a family, a woman has a brother and a sister. Her brother has two children, and her sister has three children. What is the relationship between the woman and her nieces and nephews?
• A man's grandfather is half-Chinese and half-Italian. His grandmother is half-Japanese and half-French. What is the man's ethnicity?
• In a family, a man has a sister married to another man. The man's wife's brother is married to the sister's husband's sister. What is the relationship between the man and his wife's brother-in-law?

Statement-based questions

A statement is given in these types of questions, and you must identify the relationship between the people mentioned in the statement.

• John is the father of Mary.

• What is the relationship between John and Mary?

• Sarah is Tom's sister.

• What is the relationship between Sarah and Tom?

• Mike and Jake are cousins.

• What is the relationship between Mike and Jake?

• Amy is married to Peter.

• What is the relationship between Amy and Peter?

• David is the boss of Susan.

• What is the relationship between David and Susan?

• Kevin is the grandson of Jane.

• What is the relationship between Kevin and Jane?

Tips and Tricks for Solving Blood Relation Questions

Here are some general tips and tricks for solving blood relation questions:

• Draw a family tree: Creating a family tree helps you visualise the relationships between family members and can simplify the problem. Start with the general information and work your way down to the unknown.
• Understand the different types of relationships: It's essential to know the types of relationships, such as parent-child, siblings, grandparents, cousins, etc. and how they are related.
• Use gender-specific terms: Use gender-specific terms such as "father," "mother," "son," and "daughter" to identify the gender of family members. This will help you to identify the relationships correctly.
• Use elimination techniques: Eliminating options that are not possible can help you to narrow down the possible answers.
• Look for clues in the question: The question itself may provide helpful information to help you solve the problem. Look for keywords such as "only," "not," "either...or," etc.
• Use logic: Use logic to work out relationships between family members. For example, if A is the brother of B, and B is the son of C, then A must be the son of C.
• Be careful with assumptions: Only assume relationships if they are explicitly stated in the question. For example, only assume they are if it's explicitly stated that two people are married.
• Practice: Practice is vital to mastering blood relation questions. The more you practice, the more familiar you will become with the different types of relationships and the easier it will be to solve them.