If A + B means A is the mother of B; A - B means A is the brother of B; A % B…
2024
If A + B means A is the mother of B; A - B means A is the brother of B; A % B means A is the father of B and A x B means A is the sister of B, which of the following shows that P is the maternal uncle of Q?
- A.
Q - N + M x P
- B.
P + S x N - Q
- C.
P - M + N x Q
- D.
Q - S % P
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: In coded blood-relation puzzles, each symbol encodes one fixed family relation (mother, father, brother, sister). To find a compound relation such as "maternal uncle" (the mother's brother), decode the chain of symbols one link at a time into a small family tree, then read the required relation off that tree.
P - M means P is the brother of M.
M + N means M is the mother of N.
N x Q means N is the sister of Q, so N and Q share the same mother, M.
Since M is the mother of both N and Q, and P is M's brother, P is the brother of Q's mother.
Cross-check: The brother of one's mother is, by definition, one's maternal uncle. So the chain P - M + N x Q confirms that P is the maternal uncle of Q. Checking the reverse-styled chain Q - S % P instead makes Q the father's-side (paternal) uncle of P — the opposite direction and the opposite side of the family — which confirms P - M + N x Q is the one that matches the question.