Indirect Statement

Indirect Statement problems present relationships using possessive constructions like 'A's mother is B's daughter' instead of direct statements like 'A is the brother of B'. You must decode these indirect phrasings to find the relationship between persons. These problems test your ability to parse complex family relationship statements.

10Worksheets
200+Practice Questions
AdvancedDifficulty
3-4 hoursHours to Master

Introduction to Indirect Statement

Indirect Statement problems present relationships using possessive constructions like 'A's mother is B's daughter' instead of direct statements like 'A is the brother of B'. You must decode these indirect phrasings to find the relationship between persons. These problems test your ability to parse complex family relationship statements.

Prerequisites

Understanding of possessive forms ('A's mother') Relationship chaining Family tree visualization Logical decoding of statements
Why This Matters: Indirect Statement problems appear in 2-3 questions in Banking and SSC exams. They test reading comprehension and logical decoding skills.

How to Solve Indirect Statement Problems

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Step 1: Parse the statement into smaller parts

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Step 2: Convert possessive phrases like 'A's mother' to 'mother of A'

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Step 3: Write each part as a relationship statement

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Step 4: Identify the common person who appears in multiple parts

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Step 5: Chain the relationships to find the connection between the two main persons

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Step 6: Draw a family tree if needed

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Step 7: Answer with the relationship

Pro Strategy: Convert possessive statements to 'of' form (A's mother → mother of A). Identify the equal sign or connecting verb. Treat the statement as an equation where two expressions refer to the same person. Build relationships from both sides to find the connection.

Example Problem

Example: 'A's mother is the daughter of B.' How is A related to B? Solution: Step 1: Parse: 'A's mother' = mother of A Step 2: 'daughter of B' = B's daughter Step 3: Statement: Mother of A = Daughter of B Step 4: This means: B's daughter is the mother of A Step 5: Therefore, B is the grandparent of A Step 6: Since daughter implies B could be father or mother, B is grandparent Answer: Grandparent Example 2: 'C is the brother of D's father.' How is C related to D? Solution: Step 1: 'D's father' = father of D Step 2: C is brother of father of D Step 3: Brother of father = uncle Step 4: Therefore, C is uncle of D Answer: Uncle

Pro Tips & Tricks

  • A's father = father of A
  • B's daughter = daughter of B
  • X's mother's son = brother of X (or X himself if male)
  • Y's father's sister = aunt of Y
  • P's brother's wife = sister-in-law of P
  • Q's mother's husband = father of Q

Shortcut Methods to Solve Faster

A's father's son = A's brother (or A himself)
A's mother's daughter = A's sister (or A herself)
A's parent's child = A's sibling (or A himself)
A's grandparent's grandchild = A's cousin (or A himself)
Work from the innermost possessive outward

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Confusing the direction of the possessive
Forgetting that 'X's mother's son' could be X himself
Not handling the reflexive case (self-reference)
Misparsing complex nested possessives

Exam Importance

Indirect Statement is an important topic for various competitive exams. Here's how frequently it appears:

SSC CGL
2-3 questions
BANKING PO
2-3 questions
RAILWAYS RRB
2-3 questions

Ready to Master Indirect Statement?

Start with Worksheet 1 and work your way up to expert level! Each worksheet includes:

20 practice questions
Detailed solutions
Step-by-step explanations
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