In a family, there are 3 fathers, 3 mothers, 3 daughters, 3 sons, 2 nieces, 2…
2023
In a family, there are 3 fathers, 3 mothers, 3 daughters, 3 sons, 2 nieces, 2 nephews, 1 son-in-law and 1 daughter-in-law. How many minimum members are there in the family?
- A.
11
- B.
12
- C.
10
- D.
13
Attempted by 55 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Answer: 10 members (minimum).
Construction (one minimal arrangement):
Grandfather (male) — father of the son and the daughter.
Grandmother (female) — mother of the son and the daughter.
Son (male) — child of the grandparents; married to his wife; father of two children.
Son's wife (female) — mother of the son's two children; she is the daughter-in-law (one daughter-in-law).
Daughter (female) — child of the grandparents; mother of two children.
Daughter's husband (male) — father of the daughter's two children; he is the son-in-law (one son-in-law).
Four grandchildren: two boys and two girls (the son's two children and the daughter's two children).
Counting roles in this 10-person family:
Fathers (3): Grandfather, the son (parent of two grandchildren), and the daughter's husband (parent of two grandchildren).
Mothers (3): Grandmother, the son's wife, and the daughter.
Sons (3): the son (child of grandparents) and the two grandsons.
Daughters (3): the daughter (child of grandparents) and the two granddaughters.
Nieces (2) and Nephews (2): the grandchildren are nieces/nephews to their aunt/uncle (the daughter and the son respectively) — two of each gender among the four grandchildren.
Son-in-law (1): the daughter's husband; Daughter-in-law (1): the son's wife.
Thus all listed relationships are satisfied with exactly 10 distinct family members, so the minimum number is 10.