Follow the chain, then reverse it
Make the viewpoint visible
About 12–15 minutes including practice. Recall without looking back: what does “A is B’s mother” tell you about B’s gender? Answer to yourself before continuing: nothing about gender; B is A’s child.
This lesson adds two ideas: a sibling link does not move you to a new generation, and reversing a question changes the answer. A cousin is a child of your parent’s sibling. Start with the warm-up.
Warm-up: A is B’s brother. B is C’s mother. What is A to C?
Show answer
Correct answer: B
A is the brother of C’s mother: maternal uncle. The sibling step does not add a generation.
Option A: A is a sibling of the parent, not a stated parent.
Option B: The link is through C’s mother B.
Option C: Paternal would require C’s father.
Option D: A is in the parent generation, not the cousin generation.
Hint: Find C’s mother first.
Worked example: two directions, one family
M is N’s sister. N is O’s father. O is a girl.
- Write N → O, labelled father → child. Mark O female because the clue says she is a girl, not because of a name.
- Put M beside N and label them siblings. M is female because “sister” describes M. M is not another parent of O.
- Ask “M is what to O?” Start at O: father N, then his sister M. M is O’s paternal aunt, बुआ.
- Ask “O is what to M?” Start at M: brother N, then his daughter O. O is M’s niece, specifically brother’s daughter, भतीजी.
Text map: M — sibling — N; N → O. Only the arrow is a parent-to-child link. The sideways sibling line is not a parent arrow.
A useful paper routine: circle the person after “to”; trace the stated links; then name the relation. Do not decide the answer before choosing your starting person.
Complete the faded solution: M is N’s sister. N is O’s father. O is a girl. O → father N → sister M. Now reverse the question: what is O to M?
Show answer
Correct answer: D
M is O’s paternal aunt. O is M’s brother N’s daughter: niece, specifically भतीजी.
Option A: O is N’s daughter, not M’s stated daughter.
Option B: The route is through M’s brother, not sister.
Option C: M is the aunt; the question asks about O.
Option D: O is the daughter of M’s brother N.
Hint: For the reverse question, begin at M.
Now practise without the safety net
Open this lesson’s separate five-question practice test. For the first attempt, do not use the worked example or hints. There is no speed target: accurate reasoning comes first. After submitting, read the explanation even if a guess happened to be correct.
Your paper error log: record the question number, your first answer, whether you were sure or guessing, and one error label: direction / gender / generation / missing fact. Write one sentence explaining the corrected path. Keep this confidence note on paper.
If a question exposed a gap, revisit only the relevant worked step, then solve it again from a blank page. A correct retry shows recovery, not the same thing as an unaided first attempt.
A two-minute return visit
Tomorrow, before reopening this lesson, draw one relationship chain from memory and explain what remains unknown. Then retry two questions you missed or guessed. If none caused difficulty, make two new examples and explain them. Review again later in the week if useful; choose a time that fits your study routine.
Ready to move on? You can explain the path without reading the solution and can name what the clues do not establish. If not, repair that one step before adding speed.
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