Question

Difficulty: HardBlood Relations

Read the following coded relationship definitions carefully:
- P & QP \ \text{\&} \ Q means 'PP is the mother of QQ'
- P # QP \ \# \ Q means 'PP is the brother of QQ'
- P @ QP \ \text{@} \ Q means 'PP is the daughter of QQ'
- P  QP \ \star \ Q means 'PP is the father of QQ'

If the relationship expression H & I # J @ K  LH \ \text{\&} \ I \ \# \ J \ \text{@} \ K \ \star \ L holds true, which of the following statements correctly describes how LL is related to HH?

  1. A
    LL is the son of HH
  2. B
    LL is the daughter of HH
  3. LL is either the son or the daughter of HHAnswer
  4. D
    LL is the nephew of HH

Answer

LL is either the son or the daughter of HH.
By decoding the expression step-by-step: HH is the mother of II, II is the brother of JJ, and JJ is the daughter of KK. This establishes that HH (female) and KK (male) are the parents of II and JJ. The final part K  LK \ \star \ L indicates that KK is the father of LL, meaning LL is also a child of HH and KK. However, no symbol defines whether LL is male or female. Thus, LL can be either the son or the daughter of HH.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Decode H & IH \ \text{\&} \ I and I # JI \ \# \ J
HH is female (mother of II), II is male (brother of JJ). Thus, HH is also the mother of JJ.
Since II is the brother of JJ, II and JJ share the same parents.
2
Decode J @ KJ \ \text{@} \ K
JJ is female (daughter of KK). Combined with Step 1, HH (mother) and KK (father) are married.
JJ is the daughter of both mother HH and father KK.
3
Decode K  LK \ \star \ L
KK is the father of LL. Therefore, LL is the offspring of HH and KK.
Since KK and HH are married, any child of KK is also a child of HH.
4
Evaluate gender of LL
The statement K  LK \ \star \ L establishes KK's gender as male, but does not define LL's gender.
Being a child of HH, LL can be either a male child (son) or female child (daughter).

Key Concept

Coded Blood Relations with Gender Ambiguity
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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