Mensa IQ Blood Relations and Direction Sense Flashcards

A man is standing south of a park. He walks to the park, enters, and walks straight through, exiting the other side. He then turns left. In what direction is he now walking?

Answer: West

He started south of the park, walked north through it, then turned left — turning left from north means turning west. Wait: walking north then turning left = west. No — turning left while facing north gives west. But option 0 is East. Let's re-examine: walking south-to-north through the park means he exited the north side, still facing north; turning left from north = west. Actually the answer should be West, so the correct index is 1.

A is B's only sister. B is the father of C and D. D is the mother of E. How is A related to E?

Answer: Grand-Aunt

B is E's grandfather (B→D→E). A is B's sister — therefore A is the grandaunt (great-aunt) of E.

P walks 7 km west, then 24 km north. What is the straight-line distance from P's starting point?

Answer: 25 km

Using the Pythagorean theorem: √(7² + 24²) = √(49 + 576) = √625 = 25 km.

Person A faces south, turns 135° clockwise, then 45° counterclockwise. What direction does A now face?

Answer: Southwest

Start south; +135° CW from south: south→west is 90°, west→northwest is another 45°, so 135° CW from south = northwest; then −45° CCW from northwest = west. Hmm: south+135°CW = south(180°)+135° = 315° = NW. Then NW(315°) − 45° = 270° = West. Answer: West.

Which of the following is NOT possible? A is B's maternal uncle. B is C's paternal cousin. C is D's maternal aunt. D is A's son.

Answer: This creates a paradox — A cannot be both uncle of B and great-uncle-level to D while D is A's son

If D is A's son and D is C's maternal aunt's child (complex), tracing back leads to A being in the same generation as B, C, and D through multiple cousin/uncle links, which creates an impossible circular generational contradiction.

Mohan starts at his house and walks 2 km east, then 3 km south, then 2 km west, then 3 km north. Where does he end up?

Answer: At his house

East 2, South 3, West 2, North 3 — the east/west moves cancel (net 0), and the south/north moves cancel (net 0), returning him to his starting point.

A woman says to a man: 'Your father's only sibling's only child is my sister's son.' How is the woman related to the man?

Answer: Cousin

The man's father's only sibling is his uncle or aunt; that sibling's only child is the man's cousin. That cousin is the woman's sister's son — so the woman's sister married the man's cousin's partner or the man's cousin is the woman's nephew, making the woman and the man's father's sibling's peer... simplifying: the man's cousin is the woman's nephew, so the woman is one generation above the man's cousin, meaning she and the man are in the same generation as his uncle — the woman is actually the man's cousin once removed or simply his cousin via another path. Given the direct reading: man's-father's-sibling's-child = man's cousin = woman's-sister's-son = woman's nephew. Woman's sister's son is the man's cousin, making the woman a generation above the man's cousin but same generation as the man — they are cousins.