1. Introduction
2. Dataset #1
   • Step 1: Gender and Generation table
   • Step 2: Checklist
   • Questions based on the Family-Data
3. Dataset #2: UPSC CSP’2000
   • Step #1: Gender and Generation table
   • Step-2: Run the checklist
   • Step-3: Solve the Question
4. Do eliminate wrong options
5. Keep a Watch on the Watch
6. Previous Articles on Aptitude

Introduction

• Family relation / Family tree / Bloodline related aptitude questions are pretty common in CSAT, CMAT, IBPS and CAT.

Let’s try a very clichéd and easy question.

Dataset #1

There are 6 members in a family: A to F. There are two married couples, D is grandmother of A and mother of B, C is the wife of B and mother of F, F is the granddaughter of E.
Just like our Prime Minister, There is no ‘dum’ in this sum. It requires only three simple steps.

Step 1: Gender and Generation table

• The data talks about three things: Gender (M/F), Generation(1/2/3) and Blood Relations (mom-son etc.)
• If you try to arrange all three of them simultaneously, it’ll only lead to frustration and wastage of time. So first concentrate on two items only: Gender and Generation. The Relations will fall in line by themselves.

Given data: D is grandmother of A and mother …..
So D is the oldest Generation and she is definitely female.
But we don’t know whether A is male / female.
Anyways fill up the Gender – Generation table

Given data: D is grandmother of A and mother of B
Obviously “B” falls in the 2^nd generation (mid-aged) but still we don’t know the gender of “B”.

Given data: C is the wife of B and mother of F
This one statement, tells us three things

• C is a female and mid-aged (2^nd generation)
• B is a male.
• F is 3^rd generation. But we don’t know the Gender of “F”

Update the table with this new information

Given data: F is the granddaughter of E
This tells us following

• F is a female.
• F is 3^rd generation (although we knew it already.)
• E is 1^st generation and since “D” was female, this has to be male (Granddaddy).

Update the table

*intentional mistake.

Step 2: Checklist

• In the arrangement questions: whether it is circular arrangement, linear arrangement or family tree: always runs the checklist after you’re done arranging the items.
• If you had made any mistake in the arrangement, you’ll find it out at step2.
• IF you proceed directly to solving questions, it may happen that you’ll get all answers incorrect. Because in aptitude tests, they design the 4 answers options (a/b/c/d) in such a way that even if you got incorrect arrangement, you’ll find answers matching to your arrangement!

So here is our final table

And here is our checklist from the given question data

• Red light. STOP. Checklist item #4 is giving “Fail”
• Haha see? I had made a stupid mistake in the table (intentionally).
• F is granddaughter of “E” but I had mistakenly put “F” in the “Male” column.
• In the actual exam, under the stress, many people make such silly-mistakes.
• They calculate the sum correctly in their head but on the paper, their hand writes a different thing altogether.
• Ofcourse in the actual exam, there is time-limit, so you can’t do cross verification/checklist in each and every aptitude question.
• But in the ‘arrangement’ questions- each dataset comes with 4-5 questions. So, even one silly-mistake will cost you four times the negative marks. Therefore it’s always a good idea to run checklist on arrangement questions.
• Our final “correct” table looks like this

If you want to construct a family tree, it’ll look like following