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1Family Relations2Venn Diagrams3Odd One Out4Combinations5Classification6Who Has What7Order the Steps

Concept 1 of 7

Family Relations: Build the Tree

1

Today's big idea

Read a relation chain one link at a time, since each word moves exactly one step.

Uncle can mean a parent's brother or an aunt's husband, so a fair puzzle says which.

2

How it works

👀 What's going on?

A puzzle says "the daughter of my mother's only brother" and your head spins before you reach the end of it. The trouble is holding six people in mind at once. On paper it is three short hops.

💡 Here's the trick

Sketch the tree, trace the chainFatherYouAuntCousinFather → his sister = Aunt → her daughter = Cousin

Look at the tree above. Every link in a chain moves exactly one step: up to a parent, down to a child, or sideways to a brother or sister. Take the words one at a time and each hop lands one person.

🪄 How to do it

  1. 1.Mark yourself in the middle of the tree above.
  2. 2.Read the phrase from the inside out, adding one person per link.
  3. 3.Read off how the last person sits relative to you.

✍️ Try it

My mothers only sisters daughter is my what? Then: my fathers fathers only son is my what?

Mother's sister is an aunt, and her daughter is your cousin. Your father's father is your grandfather, and his only son has to be your father.

⚠️ Watch out

You might be thinking uncle always means a parent's brother. It can also mean an aunt's husband. A fair puzzle says which one it means, and if it does not, the chain has two different endings.

🌟 Why this matters

At any big family gathering somebody will ask how two people are related, and the answer is a chain exactly like these.
Exam tip: Sketch the tree even when the chain looks short, because the sketch is faster than a second read.

3

Watch me solve one

Quanta solves it

“Watch how I think through one of these — then you try.”

THE PROBLEM

“Pointing at a girl, Aman said: ‘She is the daughter of my father's sister.’ How are they related?”

  1. 1

    Father's sister

    Father's sister = aunt. 👨‍👩‍👧

  2. 2

    Daughter of aunt

    = cousin.

  3. 3

    Answer ✓

    Cousin

Now you try one — same steps, different story 👇

4

See it in action

⚡ Time to play!

Who is your father's father? Take one hop at a time along the family tree.

FAMILY · ROUND 1 OF 3

🧍You
5

Quick check

✅ VERIFICATION

Deepa says, 'That man is the only son of my grandfather's only son.' How is the man related to Deepa?

⚡ Finish the activity above first to answer.

Keep going!

Up next: Venn Diagrams

Ask: is every X also a Y? Or do they just share some?

Concept 2 of 7 →