Pointing to a Photo & Puzzle Relations

🎯 Learning Objective

Solve 'pointing to a photograph' statements and small family puzzles by decoding phrases from the speaker's viewpoint.

💡 Concept

• Always solve from the SPEAKER's point of view, working outward
• 'My father's son' = the speaker himself if he has no brother; otherwise his brother
• 'My father's only son' / 'my mother's only son' = the speaker himself (if male)
• 'Only daughter of my mother/father' works the same way for a female speaker
• The speaker's own gender decides whether they are the son/daughter in such phrases
• For family puzzles, list each person and tag their gender and generation as clues appear

🧮 Key Formulas

Solve from the speaker outward

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'Father's only son' (male speaker) = speaker himself

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'Father's son' (no brothers) = speaker himself

✏️ Easy Example

Q. Pointing to a photograph, Rahul said, 'He is the son of my father's only son.' Whose photograph is it? (Rahul is male.)

1. 'My father's only son' = Rahul himself (he is the only son)
2. So the photo is of the son of Rahul → Rahul's son

Answer: Rahul's son

🇮🇳 Real-Life Example

Explaining an old family album photo — 'that's my father's only brother' — is exactly this decode-from-yourself skill families use all the time.

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. Pointing to a photograph, a man said, 'I have no brother or sister, but that man's father is my father's son.' Whose photograph is it?

1. He has no brother/sister, so 'my father's son' = the speaker himself
2. So 'that man's father' = the speaker
3. If the speaker is the man's father, the photo is of the speaker's son

Answer: His son (the speaker's son)

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. Pointing to a lady, Priya said, 'Her mother is the only daughter of my mother's father.' How is the lady related to Priya?

1. 'My mother's father' = Priya's maternal grandfather
2. His only daughter = Priya's mother
3. So the lady's mother is Priya's mother → the lady and Priya share a mother

Answer: Sister

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. Puzzle: P is the brother of Q. Q is the sister of R. R is the son of S. S is the mother of P. How many sons does S have?

1. S is mother of P, and P is a brother (male) → P is a son of S
2. R is the son of S → R is another son (male)
3. Q is the sister of P and R → Q is S's daughter, not a son

Answer: 2 sons (P and R)

🪄 Memory Trick

Replace each phrase step by step: 'my father's only son' → me. Substituting phrases with plain people turns any photo question into an easy chain.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

• ❌ Ignoring the speaker's gender when reading 'father's son / mother's daughter'
• ❌ Forgetting the 'no brother/sister' or 'only' clue that pins the phrase to the speaker
• ❌ Assuming a grandmother is maternal when the question says paternal (or vice versa)

🏆 Exam Tips

• ✅ Underline whether the speaker is male or female before decoding any phrase
• ✅ In puzzles, make a small table: name, gender, generation — fill it as clues arrive

📌 Summary

• Decode from the speaker outward, phrase by phrase
• 'Only son/daughter of my parent' usually = the speaker
• Speaker's gender fixes son/daughter roles
• For puzzles, tag every person with gender and generation