At a reunion dinner, Kavita pointed to a man standing near the door and remarked to her friend, “His wife is the only daughter of my mother’s only son.” How is Kavita related to the man’s wife?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Paternal aunt
Kavita is a woman (“her friend”), so her mother’s only son is her brother. The sister of one’s father is one’s paternal aunt.
Kavita’s mother’s only son: Kavita’s brother
The man’s wife is the only daughter of this brother, so Kavita’s brother is her father
Kavita is the sister of the wife’s father: her paternal aunt
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (1) Mother — Incorrect. The wife is the daughter of Kavita’s brother, not of Kavita.
Option (2) Sister — Incorrect. Kavita is the sister of the wife’s father, one generation above the wife.
Option (4) Mother-in-law — Incorrect. A mother-in-law is the mother of one’s husband; nothing makes Kavita the man’s mother.