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Question

A - B means ‘A is the mother of B’

A * B means ‘A is the husband of B’

A % B means ‘A is the brother of B’

A $ B means ‘A is the sister of B’

If I * J - K % L $ M * N, then how is I related to N?

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2022 Tier-II (Paper 2 JSO) Previous Year Paper (04-Mar-2023)
The correct answer is

Father-in-law

Blood Relation Problem Solution: Decoding Family Relationships

This question asks us to decipher the relationship between two individuals, I and N, based on a given expression and a set of codes representing different family relationships. Let's break down the problem step by step, analyzing the symbolic representation of the family structure.

Understanding the Relationship Codes

We are given the following codes:

  • A - B means ‘A is the mother of B’
  • A * B means ‘A is the husband of B’
  • A % B means ‘A is the brother of B’
  • A $ B means ‘A is the sister of B’

Analyzing the Expression: I * J - K % L $ M * N

Let's decode the expression segment by segment:

  1. I * J: According to the code 'A * B means A is the husband of B', I * J means 'I is the husband of J'. This implies that J is the wife of I. We know I is male and J is female.
  2. J - K: According to the code 'A - B means A is the mother of B', J - K means 'J is the mother of K'. K is the child of J. Since I is the husband of J, I is the father of K. The gender of K is not yet known from this segment.
  3. K % L: According to the code 'A % B means A is the brother of B', K % L means 'K is the brother of L'. This tells us K is male. K and L are siblings. Since I and J are the parents of K, they are also the parents of L. The gender of L is not yet known from this segment.
  4. L $ M: According to the code 'A $ B means A is the sister of B', L $ M means 'L is the sister of M'. This tells us L is female. L and M are siblings. Since I and J are the parents of L, they are also the parents of M. The gender of M is not yet known from this segment.
  5. M * N: According to the code 'A * B means A is the husband of B', M * N means 'M is the husband of N'. This implies that N is the wife of M. We know M is male and N is female.

Tracing the Relationship from I to N

Let's connect the decoded segments:

  • I is the husband of J.
  • J is the mother of K. Therefore, I is the father of K.
  • K is the brother of L. So, K and L are children of I and J.
  • L is the sister of M. So, L and M are children of I and J.
  • M is the husband of N. So, M is one of the children of I and J, and M is married to N.

Combining these points, we see that M is the son of I (since M is a child of I and is male as per M * N). N is the wife of M.

The relationship between I and N is that I is the father of M, and N is M's wife. This makes I the father of his son's wife.

Determining the Final Relationship

The father of one's son's wife is the father-in-law.

Therefore, I is the father-in-law of N.

Let's summarize the family structure based on the expression:

  • I and J are a married couple.
  • K, L, and M are their children.
  • K is male, L is female, M is male.
  • M is married to N, and N is female.

This confirms that I is the father of M, and M is married to N. So I is N's father-in-law.

Summary Table of Relationships

Relationship Segment Meaning Inferred Genders/Relationships
I * J I is husband of J I (Male), J (Female), J is wife of I
J - K J is mother of K K is child of I & J, I is father of K
K % L K is brother of L K (Male), K & L are siblings, L is child of I & J
L $ M L is sister of M L (Female), L & M are siblings, M is child of I & J
M * N M is husband of N M (Male), N (Female), N is wife of M

From the table and the breakdown, M is the son of I (M is male, child of I). N is the wife of M. Thus, I is the father of M, who is married to N. I is the father-in-law of N.

Revision Table: Blood Relations Key Terms

Relationship Description
Mother Female parent
Father Male parent
Husband Male spouse
Wife Female spouse
Brother Male sibling
Sister Female sibling
Son Male child
Daughter Female child
Father-in-law Father of one's spouse
Mother-in-law Mother of one's spouse
Brother-in-law Brother of one's spouse or husband of one's sibling
Sister-in-law Sister of one's spouse or wife of one's sibling

Additional Information: Solving Blood Relation Problems

Blood relation problems are common in reasoning sections of exams. Here are some tips for solving them:

  • Carefully read and understand the codes or definitions provided for relationships.
  • Break down complex expressions into smaller segments.
  • Draw a family tree or diagram to visualize the relationships. Use symbols for gender (e.g., + for male, - for female) and lines to connect spouses (=) and parent-child relationships (|).
  • Determine the gender of each person whenever possible based on the given relationships. This is crucial as relationships like brother-in-law or aunt depend on gender.
  • Trace the path from the first person to the second person mentioned in the question.
  • Combine the individual relationships to find the final relationship.
  • Practice with various types of problems to improve speed and accuracy.
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Similar Questions

  1. If S - T means that S is the mother of T, S × T means that S is the father of T, S + T means that S is the sister of T, then which of the following expression shows that P is the mother of R?

  2. If A × B means that A is the father of B, A ÷ B means that A is the mother of B, A + B means that A is the brother of B then which of the following expression shows that P is the paternal grandmother of R?

  3. 'P @ Q' means 'P is the wife of Q'.

    'P # Q' means 'P is the brother of Q'.

    'P $ Q' means 'P is the father of Q'.

    'P - Q' means 'P is the daughter of Q'.

    If Z - B $ D $ G, then how is Z related to G?

  4. ‘A @ B’ means ‘A is the husband of B’.

    ‘A & B’ means ‘A is the father of B’.

    ‘A # B’ means ‘B is the son of A’.

    If F & G @ H # I @ J, then how is G related to J?

  5. 'A + B' means 'A is the son of B'.

    'A - B' means 'A is the wife of B'.

    'A × B' means 'A is the father of B'.

    'A ÷ B' means 'A is the sister of B'.

    If A + P - Q × R - S, then which of the following statements is NOT correct?

  6. A% B means 'A is the daughter of B'

    A = B means 'A is the sister of B'

    A $ B means 'A is the father of B'

    If E = F = G $ H = I, then how is G related to E?

  7. A # B means ‘A is the sister of B’.

    A @ B means ‘A is the son of B’.

    A & B means ‘A is the father of B’.

    A % B means ‘A is the mother of B’.

    If W @ Q % T & Y @ M % K, then how is W related to K?

  8. If P ÷ Q means that P is the mother of Q, P – Q means that P is the father of Q, P × Q means that P is the sister of Q, then which of the following expression shows that B is the daughter of A?

  9. A # B means ‘A is the brother of B’

    A @ B means ‘A is the son of B’

    A & B means ‘A is the wife of B’

    A % B means ‘A is the mother of B’

    If A % B & C # D @ E, then how is B related to E?

  10. A # B means ‘A is the sister of B’.

    A @ B means ‘A is the son of B’.

    A & B means ‘A is the father of B’.

    A % B means ‘A is the mother of B’.

    If W & Q # T & Y @ M % K, then how is Q related to K?


Important Questions from Coded Blood Relation Problems

  1. If A @ B means A is the son of B, A # B means A is the husband of B and A * B means A is the daughter of B, then what does P @ Q * R # S mean? 

  2. If P $ Q means P is the husband of Q; P ! Q means P is the mother Q and P * Q means P is the daughter of Q, which of the following shows that Z is brother of W's wife, if Z is male?

  3. If P $ Q means P is the brother of Q; P ! Q means P is the mother Q and P * Q means P is the son of Q, which of the following shows that W is brother of Z?

  4. Read the following information carefully and answer the question given below:

    M * N means ‘ M is the sister of N’

    M % N means ‘ M is the father of N’

    M # N means ‘M is the mother of N’

    Which of the following option gives that, M is father of R?

  5. If ‘A + B’ means ‘A is the mother of B’, ‘A - B’ means ‘A is the father of B’, ‘A × B’ means ‘A is the brother of B’, ‘A & B’ means ‘A is the son of B’, then how is M related to K in the expression ‘N − M + T × L & G & K’?

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