Blood Relations Family Tree Questions for BIHAR POLICE CONSTABLE

Core Relationship Terminology

Blood relations questions use specific kinship terms that must be decoded instantly. The key is to break each term into its components: who is the reference person, and what is their relation. For example, 'A's maternal uncle' means the brother of A's mother. 'B's sister-in-law' could mean either the wife of B's brother OR the sister of B's spouse. This ambiguity is often the trap. Always identify the reference person first, then trace the relationship step by step.

• Maternal = mother's side; Paternal = father's side
• In-law = spouse's family or sibling's spouse
• Cousin = child of parent's sibling (same generation as you)
• Nephew/Niece = child of your sibling
• Uncle/Aunt = sibling of your parent
• Sister-in-law can mean: wife of brother OR sister of husband/wife (always clarify context)

Decoding Family Tree Statements

Exam questions give you a paragraph describing relationships and ask you to identify a specific relation or draw a tree. The trick is to assign each person a symbol (M for male, F for female) and use arrows or lines to show connections. Start with the oldest generation and work downward. When a statement says 'A is the brother of B's mother', immediately write: B's mother has a brother = A. This converts words into visual logic. Always verify your tree by re-reading the original statement.

• Use symbols: M=male, F=female, =married, -=sibling, |=parent-child
• Start from the reference person and trace backward (to parents) or forward (to children)
• Ambiguous terms like 'cousin' or 'in-law' must be resolved by reading the full context
• If told 'A and B are brothers, C is B's daughter', then C is also A's niece
• Gender matters: 'brother' is always male, 'sister' is always female; 'sibling' is neutral

Common Question Patterns in Bihar Police Exams

Bihar Police reasoning papers typically ask three types of blood relation questions: (1) Direct relation identification ('If X is Y's uncle, what is Y to X?'), (2) Multi-step decoding ('A is B's mother-in-law, B is C's sister. What is A to C?'), and (3) Family tree construction from a paragraph. The third type is most common and requires you to read carefully, identify all relationships, and then answer a specific query. Time pressure is real: you must decode in 1-2 minutes per question.

• Type 1 (direct): Usually 30 seconds if you know terminology
• Type 2 (multi-step): Requires 1-2 minutes; draw a small tree on paper
• Type 3 (paragraph): 1.5-2 minutes; re-read the statement once after drawing tree
• Reverse logic is common: 'If A is B's nephew, then B is A's uncle/aunt' — know both directions
• Watch for gender traps: 'A's brother's wife' is A's sister-in-law, not A's wife

Reverse Relationship Logic

If X is Y's uncle, then Y is X's nephew/niece. If A is B's mother-in-law, then B is A's daughter-in-law or son-in-law. Exam questions often ask the reverse of what is stated. You must instantly flip the relationship. Create a mental map: for every relation, know its reverse. This saves time and prevents errors. Practice saying relationships both ways: 'A is B's cousin' = 'B is A's cousin' (symmetric), but 'A is B's uncle' = 'B is A's nephew/niece' (asymmetric).

• Symmetric relations: cousin, sibling, spouse (same relation both ways)
• Asymmetric relations: uncle/nephew, parent/child, grandfather/grandson (opposite)
• In-law relations are tricky: 'A is B's sister-in-law' does NOT automatically mean 'B is A's sister-in-law' — context matters
• Always state the reverse relation explicitly when solving multi-step problems

Step-by-Step Solving Method

For any blood relation question, follow this sequence: (1) Identify the reference person (the one you're asked about). (2) List all given relationships in order. (3) Draw a small tree or use symbols. (4) Trace the path from the reference person through the given relationships. (5) Identify the final relation. (6) Re-read the question to ensure you answered what was asked. This method works for 95% of questions and takes 1-2 minutes.

• Step 1: Underline the reference person in the question
• Step 2: Write each relationship as a separate line (e.g., 'A is B's brother', 'B is C's mother')
• Step 3: Draw a tree or use arrows (A -> B -> C shows A is C's grandfather)
• Step 4: Trace from the reference person to the target person
• Step 5: Name the final relationship clearly
• Step 6: Double-check by re-reading the original statement

• Confusing maternal and paternal: 'A's maternal uncle' is the brother of A's mother, NOT father's brother. Aspirants often reverse this under time pressure.
• Misinterpreting 'sister-in-law': It can mean wife of brother OR sister of spouse. Always check context. A common trap: 'A is B's sister-in-law' does not tell you if A married B's brother or if A's brother married B.
• Forgetting to reverse logic: If told 'X is Y's nephew', many forget that Y must be X's uncle/aunt. Exam asks the reverse relation and aspirants panic.
• Ignoring gender in answers: Saying 'A is B's uncle' when the answer should be 'A is B's aunt' because A is female. Always check gender of the person being described.
• Drawing incomplete trees: Aspirants skip generations or miss a relationship, then answer incorrectly. Always re-read the problem after drawing to verify all relationships are included.

• MANU: Maternal=mother's side, Aunt/Uncle=parent's sibling, Nephew/Niece=sibling's child, Uncle/Aunt=parent's sibling (reinforces maternal vs paternal)
• IN-LAW = IN = 'In spouse's family' (wife/husband's relatives) or 'In sibling's family' (brother/sister's spouse). Think 'IN' as 'IN a different family tree'
• REVERSE RULE: Uncle <-> Nephew/Niece, Parent <-> Child, Grandparent <-> Grandchild (asymmetric pairs). Cousin <-> Cousin (symmetric).
• TREE DOWN: Always draw from top (oldest) to bottom (youngest). This prevents confusion about generations.

• Bihar Police papers typically have 2-3 blood relation questions in the 30-question reasoning section. They are usually questions 15-20, placed after simpler logic puzzles. Difficulty is moderate to moderate-hard.
• Time management: Allocate 1.5-2 minutes per question. If you cannot decode in 2 minutes, skip and return later. Do not spend 5 minutes on one question.
• Paper-pencil strategy: Always draw a small tree on your rough paper, even for simple questions. This prevents mental errors and saves time on multi-step problems.
• Watch for 'trick' statements: Phrases like 'A and B are brothers' followed by 'C is A's daughter' are straightforward, but examiners sometimes add 'D is C's mother-in-law' to confuse. Read every word.
• Recent Bihar Police papers show a trend toward multi-step questions (3-4 relationships to decode) rather than single-relation questions. Practice 3-step problems heavily in your final week.