If A + B means A is the brother of B; A - B means A is the sister of B and A x…
2026
If A + B means A is the brother of B; A - B means A is the sister of B and A x B means A is the father of B.
Which of the following means that C is the son of M?
- A.
M - N x C + F
- B.
F - C + N x M
- C.
N + M - F x C
- D.
M x N - C + F
Attempted by 1 students.
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Correct answer: D
In this coding scheme, '+' means 'is the brother of', '-' means 'is the sister of', and 'x' means 'is the father of'. To read a coded chain, decode each symbol left to right and link the relationships into one family tree, tracking each person's gender as it is revealed.
M x N → M is the father of N.
N - C → N is the sister of C, so N and C are siblings (children of the same parents, hence both children of M).
C + F → C is the brother of F, which confirms C is male.
Since M is the father of N and C is N's sibling, M is also the father of C; and since C is male, C is the son of M.
Checking the other coded chains:
M - N x C + F: M is the sister of N; N is the father of C — this makes M the paternal aunt of C, not a parent.
F - C + N x M: F is the sister of C; C is the brother of N; N is the father of M — this makes C the paternal uncle of M (the reverse relation), not a parent of C.
N + M - F x C: N is the brother of M; M is the sister of F; F is the father of C — this makes M the aunt of C, not the parent.
Only the chain 'M x N - C + F' establishes M as the father of a male child C, so it is the one that means C is the son of M.