Question

Difficulty: HardBlood Relations

Read the following information carefully and answer the question that follows:

In a family of seven members—U,V,W,X,Y,Z,U, V, W, X, Y, Z, and TT—spanning three generations:
ZZ is the father of WW and has only two children.
WW is the brother of VV.
UU is the mother-in-law of YY, who is married to VV.
TT is the child of YY.
XX is the sibling of TT.

Based on the given information, how is TT related to WW?

  1. A
    Nephew
  2. B
    Niece
  3. Cannot be determinedAnswer
  4. D
    Cousin

Answer

The relationship cannot be determined because the gender of TT is not specified.
The correct answer is 'Cannot be determined'. WW is the brother of VV, who is married to YY. TT is the child of YY (and VV). Since WW is the sibling of TT's parent, TT is WW's sibling's child (nephew or niece). However, because no statement specifies the gender of TT, it is impossible to uniquely determine whether TT is a nephew or a niece.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the generation structure and parentage of WW and VV.
ZZ is the father of WW and VV. Thus, WW and VV are siblings belonging to the second generation.
Establishing the parents identifies the sibling group in generation two.
2
Determine the relation between V,Y,V, Y, and TT.
YY is married to VV, and TT is the child of YY. Therefore, VV and YY are the parents of TT.
Since TT is the child of YY, TT is also the child of YY's spouse VV.
3
Relate TT to WW.
WW is the brother of VV (who is TT's parent). This makes WW the uncle of TT, and TT the child of WW's sibling.
A child of one's sibling is either a nephew or a niece.
4
Evaluate the gender of TT.
The clues state 'TT is the child of YY', but do not specify whether TT is male or female.
Without knowing TT's gender, we cannot distinguish between nephew (male) and niece (female).

Key Concept

Gender ambiguity trap in multi-generational blood relation puzzles
Rate this question