Direct Relations

• How to read simple family statements ("A is the father of B") and work out how two people are related.
• Building a quick family diagram in your notebook instead of solving in your head.
• The standard vocabulary: father, mother, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, uncle, aunt.

1. Draw it out — use a simple tree: parents on top, children below, joined by lines.
2. One generation up = parent — father/mother.
3. Same generation, same parents = sibling — brother/sister.
4. Two generations up = grandparent — grandfather/grandmother.
5. Parent's sibling = uncle/aunt.

Statement: "Ravi is the father of Meena. Meena is the mother of Karan." How is Ravi related to Karan?

Step 1 — draw: Ravi -> Meena -> Karan
Step 2 — Ravi is two generations above Karan
Step 3 — Ravi is male, two generations up = grandfather
Answer: Ravi is Karan's grandfather.

• Mixing up direction — "A is father of B" means A is older generation, not the reverse.
• Forgetting that gender decides whether the answer is grandfather/grandmother or uncle/aunt.
• Not checking how many generations apart the two people actually are before naming the relation.

• If A is the mother of B, and B is the father of C, how is A related to C?
• If A is the brother of B, and B is the mother of C, how is A related to C?
• Draw the family tree for: "X is the father of Y. Y is the father of Z."

Open the Practice tab for graded questions on Direct Relations.