Pointing to a man, a woman said, "His mother is the only daughter of my mother." How is the woman related to the man?

Appeared in: RML 2023

Explanation

The statement 'the only daughter of my mother' made by a woman refers to the woman herself.
By substituting this into the full sentence, the statement becomes 'His mother is me'.
This directly establishes that the woman speaking is the mother of the man she is pointing to.

Option B: This option reverses the relationship. The puzzle establishes that the woman is the parent, not the child, of the man.
Option C: If the woman were the man's sister, they would share the same mother. The phrasing 'the only daughter of my mother' explicitly rules out the possibility of her having a sister, but it doesn't make her the man's sister.
Option D: This relationship involves an extra generation that is not present in the statement. The statement connects the man's mother directly to the speaker.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Blood Relation Logical Reasoning as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
This question assesses logical and deductive reasoning, a crucial skill for problem-solving in any professional field, including nursing.
The ability to deconstruct complex statements and identify relationships is foundational to critical thinking, which is essential for patient assessment and care planning.
What if the statement was 'His mother is a daughter of my mother' (not 'only daughter')? The answer would become ambiguous. The woman could be the man's mother OR his aunt. This highlights the importance of paying attention to precise keywords like 'only'.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the speaker (the woman) and the person being referred to (the man).
Break down the statement into smaller parts. It's often easiest to start from the end of the quote and work backward.
Analyze 'my mother' - this is the speaker's mother.
Next, analyze 'the only daughter of my mother'. Since the speaker is a woman, she must be referring to herself.
Substitute this finding back into the full statement: 'His mother is [the woman herself]'.
This simplified statement directly reveals the relationship: the woman is the man's mother.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Blood Relation Logical Reasoning
Stem keywords: Pointing to a man, woman said, His mother, only daughter, my mother
Lead-in keywords: How is the woman related to the man
Negative lead-in flag: false

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Practise the full RML 2023

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.