P, Q, R, S, T and U are six members of a family. R is the spouse of Q. U is the mother of T and S is the daughter of U. P’s daughter is T and R’s son is P. There are two couples in the family. Which one of the following is correct?
Why UPSC dropped it · explanation
UPSC dropped this question from evaluation in its final answer key.
UPSC dropped this item from evaluation. The idea is still worth learning: Q and R are P’s parents and P and U are T’s parents, so T is Q’s granddaughter, while Q’s and R’s genders are never stated.
- R’s son is P and R is Q’s spouse, so Q and R are P’s parents — the first couple.
- P’s daughter is T and U is T’s mother, so P (male, being R’s son) and U are T’s parents — the second couple. S is U’s other daughter.
- The genders of Q and R are never given, so (a), (b) and (c) cannot be decided.
- T is the daughter of P, who is Q’s son, so T is Q’s granddaughter — as in option (d).
Remember · Blood relations: draw the tree with gender marks; any option that needs an unstated gender cannot be definitely correct.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·