P is the brother of Q and R. S is R’s mother. T is P’s father. How many of the following statements are definitely true?
- I.S and T are a couple.
- II.Q is T’s son.
- III.T is Q’s father.
- IV.S is P’s mother.
- V.R is T’s daughter.
- VI.P is S’s son.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Only four
As siblings, P, Q and R share S as mother and T as father, so S and T are a couple. Only P's gender is known, so the statements that need Q to be male or R to be female are not definite; the other four are.
- P, Q and R are siblings, so R's mother S and P's father T are the parents of all three — and a couple.
- P is male (a brother). The genders of Q and R are not given.
- Definitely true: I (S and T are a couple), III (T is Q's father), IV (S is P's mother), VI (P is S's son).
- Not definite: II (Q may be a daughter) and V (R may be a son).
- So four statements are definitely true.
- ✓ I S is the mother and T the father of the same siblings, so they are a couple.
- ✗ II Q's gender is not given; Q could be T's daughter.
- ✓ III T is P's father and Q is P's sibling, so T is Q's father.
- ✓ IV S is R's mother and R is P's sibling, so S is P's mother.
- ✗ V R's gender is not given; R could be T's son.
- ✓ VI P is male and S is his mother, so P is S's son.
Remember · Note every gender actually given; a statement that needs an unknown gender is never 'definitely true'.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·