Direction : Study the following information carefully and answer the questions…

2019

Direction : Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below:
P@Q means P is married to Q
P#Q means P is parent of Q
P&Q means P is sibling of Q and both are of same gender
P$Q means P is sibling of Q and both are of different gender
P+ means P is male
P* means P is female

If J@F*#T$R, V@R+#B&A, F#Q#D is true and D is only niece of T then, how is Q related to B?

  1. A.

    Uncle

  2. B.

    Aunt

  3. C.

    Sister

  4. D.

    Brother

  5. E.

    Can’t be determined

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: E

Concept

In coded blood-relation problems, every symbol fixes one relationship link and the suffixes +/* fix gender. To find how two people relate, build the family tree link by link, decode each member's gender from every clue available, and only then read off the relation. A relation is DETERMINED only if every gender and link needed to name it is forced by the clues; if a required gender is left open, the relation stays open too.

Decoding the symbols

Symbol

Meaning

@

married to

#

parent of

&

sibling, SAME gender

$

sibling, DIFFERENT gender

+

male

*

female

Building the tree (step by step)

  1. J@F*#T$R : F is female (F*); J is married to F (so J is her husband, male); F is parent of T; and T$R means T and R are siblings of different gender. So J and F are the parents of T and R.

  2. V@R+#B&A : R is male (R+). Since T and R are different-gender siblings, T is therefore female. V is married to R (V is his wife); R is parent of B; B&A means B and A are same-gender siblings. So R and V are the parents of B and A.

  3. F#Q#D : F is parent of Q, so Q is another child of F and J — i.e. Q is a sibling of T and R. Q is parent of D.

  4. D is the only niece of T : 'niece' means a sibling's daughter (whether the sibling is a brother or a sister), so D is female. T's siblings are R and Q; D (Q's child) is T's niece. For D to be the ONLY niece, R's children B and A must not be female, so B and A are male.

Relating Q to B

B's father is R, and Q is R's sibling (both are children of F and J). So Q is a sibling of B's parent — that is, B's uncle or aunt. Which one it is depends entirely on Q's gender.

Cross-check: is Q's gender fixed?

No clue fixes Q's gender. Q is simply a child of F and J and a parent of D; a parent of a daughter can be either a father or a mother, and the symbols #, @ used for Q carry no +/* tag. The 'only niece' clue only forces B and A to be male — it says nothing about Q's gender.

Result

Because the puzzle leaves Q's gender open, the relation of Q to B cannot be pinned to one name: it can't be determined.

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