Solving Family Relationship Puzzles

This question asks us to determine the relationship between two individuals, Mani and Surbhi, based on a series of given relationships. We need to carefully analyze each statement to build a picture of the family structure.

Understanding the Given Blood Relations

Let's break down the information provided:

• "Nimesh is the only brother of Meghna." This tells us Nimesh and Meghna are siblings. Nimesh is male, Meghna is female. Since he is the *only* brother of Meghna, any other siblings Meghna has must be sisters.
• "Surbhi is the daughter of Nimesh." This establishes a parent-child relationship. Nimesh is Surbhi's father.
• "Meghna and Neha are sisters." This means Meghna and Neha are siblings, and both are female. Combining with the first point, Nimesh, Meghna, and Neha are all siblings. Nimesh is the brother, Meghna and Neha are the sisters.
• "Mani is the son of Karan, who is the husband of Meghna." This gives us two pieces of information: Karan is married to Meghna, and Mani is their son. This establishes a parent-child relationship (Mani's parents are Meghna and Karan) and a spousal relationship (Karan and Meghna are married).

Building the Family Connections Step-by-Step

Now let's connect the individuals based on the statements:

• Meghna is married to Karan. They have a son, Mani.
• Meghna has a brother, Nimesh.
• Nimesh has a daughter, Surbhi.

So, Mani's mother is Meghna. Meghna's brother is Nimesh. Surbhi's father is Nimesh.

Determining the Relation between Mani and Surbhi

We need to find how Mani is related to Surbhi.

• Mani's mother is Meghna.
• Surbhi's father is Nimesh.
• Meghna and Nimesh are siblings (sister and brother).

This means Mani's mother (Meghna) is the sister of Surbhi's father (Nimesh). Children of siblings are cousins.

• Mani is the son of Meghna. Meghna is the sister of Nimesh. So, Mani is the son of Nimesh's sister.
• Surbhi is the daughter of Nimesh. Nimesh is the brother of Meghna. So, Surbhi is the daughter of Meghna's brother.

Therefore, Mani and Surbhi are cousins. Since Mani is stated as a 'son' (male), he is Surbhi's cousin brother.

Comparing with the Options

Let's look at the given options:

• father: Incorrect. Mani's father is Karan.
• maternal uncle: Incorrect. Mani's maternal uncle is his mother's brother, which is Nimesh. Nimesh is Surbhi's father. Mani is not Surbhi's maternal uncle.
• paternal uncle: Incorrect. Mani's paternal uncle would be his father Karan's brother (none mentioned). Surbhi's paternal uncle would be her father Nimesh's brother (none mentioned, as Nimesh is the only brother of Meghna).
• Cousin brother: Correct. Mani is the son of Nimesh's sister (Meghna), and Surbhi is the daughter of Nimesh. They are first cousins. Mani is male, so he is Surbhi's cousin brother.

Based on our analysis, Mani is the son of Meghna, who is the sister of Nimesh. Surbhi is the daughter of Nimesh. This makes Mani and Surbhi first cousins. As Mani is male, the correct relationship is cousin brother.

The relationship between Mani and Surbhi is that they are first cousins, with Mani being the cousin brother.

Revision Table: Key Relationship Terms

Additional Information on Blood Relation Reasoning

Blood relation questions test your ability to decode relationships and build a family tree. It's often helpful to visualize the relationships or draw a simple diagram. Start with the central figure or the most connected person and branch out. Pay close attention to gender specifications ("brother", "sister", "son", "daughter") and unique conditions ("only brother"). These puzzles are common in reasoning sections of competitive exams.

Remembering the definitions of common relationships like uncle, aunt, cousin, nephew, niece, etc., is crucial for solving these types of problems efficiently.