Pointing towards a boy, Sarika said, "He is my sister's son's father's wife's only sister's son." How is Sarika related to the boy?
Mother
Understanding the Blood Relation Puzzle
The question asks us to determine how Sarika is related to a boy, based on a statement Sarika makes about him. Let's break down Sarika's statement step by step to figure out the relationship.
Sarika says, "He is my sister's son's father's wife's only sister's son."
Step-by-Step Blood Relation Analysis
Let's analyze the statement from Sarika's perspective:
- "My sister's son": This person is Sarika's nephew. Let's call him Nephew N.
- "My sister's son's father": The father of Nephew N. is the husband of Sarika's sister. This person is Sarika's brother-in-law. Let's call him Brother-in-law BIL.
- "My sister's son's father's wife": The wife of Brother-in-law BIL is Sarika's sister. This is the same sister mentioned at the beginning. Let's call her Sister S.
- "My sister's son's father's wife's only sister": Sister S has an "only sister". If Sarika's sister has only one sister, that person must be Sarika herself. This part of the statement refers to Sarika.
- "My sister's son's father's wife's only sister's son": This is the son of Sarika (the "only sister" from the previous step).
Therefore, the statement "He is my sister's son's father's wife's only sister's son" simplifies to "He is Sarika's son".
Determining Sarika's Relationship to the Boy
Based on our analysis, the boy is Sarika's son. The question asks how Sarika is related to the boy. If the boy is her son, then Sarika is his mother.
Evaluating the Options
Let's look at the given options:
- Maternal grandmother: This would mean Sarika is the mother of the boy's mother or father, which is not the case.
- Maternal aunt: This would mean Sarika is the sister of the boy's mother, which is not the case.
- Sister: This would mean Sarika is the boy's sister, which is not the case.
- Mother: This means Sarika is the boy's mother, which matches our conclusion.
The correct relationship is that Sarika is the boy's mother.
Summary of the Relationship
Let's visualize the relationship chain:
Boy $\leftarrow$ Son of (Only Sister of (Wife of (Father of (Son of (Sarika's Sister)))))
Simplifying:
- Sarika's Sister's Son = Sarika's Nephew
- Sarika's Sister's Son's Father = Sarika's Sister's Husband = Sarika's Brother-in-law
- Sarika's Sister's Son's Father's Wife = Sarika's Sister
- Sarika's Sister's Son's Father's Wife's Only Sister = Sarika
- Sarika's Sister's Son's Father's Wife's Only Sister's Son = Sarika's Son
So, the boy is Sarika's son.
Therefore, Sarika is the boy's mother.
| Step | Phrase | Relationship to Sarika |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | My sister's son | Nephew |
| 2 | ... father | Brother-in-law |
| 3 | ... wife | Sister |
| 4 | ... only sister | Sarika |
| 5 | ... son | Sarika's Son |
Revision Table: Blood Relations Concepts
| Relationship | Description |
|---|---|
| Mother | Female parent |
| Father | Male parent |
| Sister | Female sibling |
| Brother | Male sibling |
| Son | Male child |
| Daughter | Female child |
| Nephew | Son of one's sibling |
| Niece | Daughter of one's sibling |
| Aunt (Paternal) | Sister of one's father |
| Aunt (Maternal) | Sister of one's mother |
| Uncle (Paternal) | Brother of one's father |
| Uncle (Maternal) | Brother of one's mother |
| Brother-in-law | Husband of one's sibling or brother of one's spouse |
| Sister-in-law | Wife of one's sibling or sister of one's spouse |
Additional Information on Solving Blood Relation Questions
Blood relation questions require careful step-by-step decoding of the given statement. Here are some tips:
- Start decoding from the end of the statement and move towards the beginning, or start from the perspective of the person making the statement.
- Break down complex sentences into smaller, manageable parts.
- Use diagrams or family trees if helpful, but often step-by-step text analysis is sufficient for simpler relations.
- Pay close attention to words like "only," which significantly restrict possibilities.
- Clearly identify the two individuals whose relationship is being asked.
Practicing different types of blood relation questions helps improve speed and accuracy.
Important Questions from General Blood Relation Problems
Pointing to a girl in a college poster, Deepika said, "She is my mother-in-law's only son’s niece". How is that girl's mother related to Deepika?
Pointing to the photograph of a girl, Raghav said, "She is my father's mother's daughter's only brother's daughter". How is Raghav's father related to that girl's mother?
Pointing towards a woman, Reena said, “She is the only daughter of my father-in-law.” How is the woman related to Reena?
Pointing towards Sumit, Anuj said, “He is my mother’s father’s son’s brother’s son”. If Vinita who is married to Kartik, is the mother of Anuj, then how is Vinita related to Sumit?
Introducing Reshma to a guest, a lady, Karishma, said, “She is the daughter of my father-in-law’s daughter”. How is Reshma related to Karishma?
