Family and Relationships — REET EVS Notes
This page covers types of family, the correct names for close relatives, and a method for logically working out multi-step relationships. In REET EVS, this topic is asked less as straight definitions and more as reasoning-style questions, so it's important to know both the technique for identifying relations correctly and the common mistakes to avoid.
- 1 question in REET 2024
- Class 1-5 level
- 7 min read
How this topic is asked in REET
REET 2024 asked one question on Family and Relationships — 'What is the relation of mother's brother's mother to you?' — which wasn't a straight definition but a reasoning question solved by linking relations step by step. In the EVS syllabus, this topic falls under the heading 'Family, Friends and Relationships', so questions built around family types, correct names for relatives, and multi-step relations are entirely likely.
Meaning and types of family
Family is the primary social unit in which members connected by blood, marriage or adoption live together and care for one another. A child first learns language, habits, values and social behaviour from the family, which is why the EVS syllabus treats it as the very first unit of a child's immediate environment.
Family is mainly of two types — the nuclear family, made up of parents and their unmarried children, and the joint family, in which grandparents, uncles, aunts and their children all live together. With urbanisation, the number of nuclear families has grown, while the joint-family system is still widely seen in rural Rajasthan.
Key family relationships
| Relative | Relation |
|---|---|
| Nana / Nani (maternal grandfather / grandmother) | Mother's parents |
| Dada / Dadi (paternal grandfather / grandmother) | Father's parents |
| Mama / Mami (maternal uncle / his wife) | Mother's brother / maternal uncle's wife |
| Bua / Fufa (paternal aunt / her husband) | Father's sister / paternal aunt's husband |
| Chacha / Chachi (younger paternal uncle / his wife) | Father's younger brother / his wife |
| Tau / Tai (elder paternal uncle / his wife) | Father's elder brother / his wife |
| Mausi / Mausa (maternal aunt / her husband) | Mother's sister / maternal aunt's husband |
| Jeth / Dewar (husband's elder brother / husband's younger brother) | Relative through marriage, on the husband's side |
| Nanad / Sala-Sali (husband's sister / wife's brother-sister) | Relative through marriage |
| Samdhi / Samdhan | The parents of the two families joined by their children's marriage |
REET questions on relations often chain two or three links together — for instance, 'mother's brother's mother' equals grandmother (nani).[Source 1]
Working out multi-step relationships logically
The easiest way to solve multi-step relationship questions is to place yourself at the centre and add one link at a time. For example, 'my mother's brother' equals mama (maternal uncle); 'mama's mother' equals the very same person who is also my mother's mother, i.e. nani (maternal grandmother). Working through each link in order like this avoids confusion.
Keep in mind that relatives on the father's side (dada, dadi, chacha, bua) are distinct from relatives on the mother's side (nana, nani, mama, mausi) — paying close attention to cue words like 'on the father's side' or 'on the mother's side' in a question makes it easier to pick the right option.
Here's another example: 'my father's sister's husband's son' — father's sister equals bua, bua's husband equals fufa, and fufa-bua's son is called my 'phupher bhai' (paternal cousin). Similarly, mama-mami's son is called 'mamera bhai', mausi-mausa's son is called 'mausera bhai', and chacha-chachi's son is called 'chachera bhai' (paternal cousin) — REET can also ask about the difference between these types of cousins.
Cooperation, respect and emotional bonds within the family
The EVS syllabus doesn't teach family merely as a list of relationships, but as a unit of mutual cooperation, care and respect. Children are taught that every family member plays a different role, yet all run the household together — older members offer experience and guidance, while children bring fresh learning and energy.
As times change, family structures are changing too — single-parent families and children raised by a guardian are common today. Teachers need to keep the definition of 'family' inclusive in the classroom, so that no child feels uncomfortable about their own family situation.
Family roles, responsibilities and links to the neighbourhood
Every member of a family has certain roles and responsibilities — older members typically handle the household's financial and social responsibilities, while children's responsibilities are to study, respect elders and help with small household chores. The EVS syllabus focuses on building the understanding in children that family isn't just about rights but also about mutual responsibilities.
A family's boundaries don't stop at the walls of the home — neighbours, relatives and friends together form a wider social circle, a community. This is exactly why the REET EVS syllabus places topics like 'Neighbourhood' and 'Friends' right after 'Family', so a child can understand the journey from home to society step by step.
How to teach children
Classroom activity
Have children build a simple family-tree chart, sticking on the names and pictures of grandparents on both sides, parents, and siblings — this builds an understanding of relationships in a playful way.
Teaching aids
Use relationship flashcards or a 'family tree' chart, showing each member on a branch — a picture-based chart works best for class 1-2 children.
Common misconceptions
Young children often confuse 'chacha' with 'mama', or 'bua' with 'mausi'. Teachers should show father's-side and mother's-side relations in different colours or symbols to make the distinction clear.
Assessment idea
Ask children orally, 'What do you call your mother's sister?' or show a picture and ask them to identify the relation — this is a simple, low-stress form of formative assessment.
Memory trick
For any multi-step relationship question, use scratch paper during the exam, put yourself at the centre and connect each link with an arrow — like 'me → mother → brother → mother'. As soon as you reach the last person, the correct relation becomes clear, and the chance of picking a wrong option nearly disappears.
Questions asked in REET 2024 (with solutions)
Question 136
How will you be related to your mother’s brother’s mother ?
- Aमामी
- Bनानी
- Cबहन
- Dमौसी
Explanation
माताजी के भाई आपके मामा हैं, और मामा की माँ वही है जो आपकी माँ की माँ है, अर्थात आपकी नानी। मामी मामा की पत्नी और मौसी माँ की बहन होती है।
Practice Questions
Question 1
What is father's elder brother called?
- Aचाचा
- Bताऊ
- Cमामा
- Dफूफा
Explanation
Father's elder brother is called 'tau', while father's younger brother is called 'chacha'.
Question 2
Which of the following relations is NOT from the mother's side (maternal side)?
- Aनाना
- Bमामा
- Cबुआ
- Dमौसी
Explanation
Bua is father's sister, so she is a relative on the father's side; nana, mama and mausi are all relatives on the mother's side.
Question 3
What do you call your father's sister's husband?
- Aमौसा
- Bफूफा
- Cजीजा
- Dसमधी
Explanation
The husband of your father's sister (bua) is called 'fufa'. Mausa is the husband of your mother's sister, and jija is the husband of your own sister.
Question 4
Who generally comprises a Nuclear Family?
- Aकेवल माता-पिता और उनके बच्चे
- Bदादा-दादी सहित सभी पीढ़ियाँ
- Cचाचा-चाची व उनके बच्चे
- Dकेवल दादा-दादी
Explanation
A nuclear family consists only of parents and their unmarried children, while a joint family also includes other members, such as grandparents and uncles and aunts.
Question 5
What would you call your mother's father?
- Aदादा
- Bनाना
- Cमामा
- Dताऊ
Explanation
Your mother's father is called 'nana'; your father's father is called 'dada'.
Question 6
What do you call your wife's brother?
- Aदेवर
- Bसाला
- Cजेठ
- Dसमधी
Explanation
Your wife's brother is called 'sala'. Dewar is a husband's younger brother, and jeth is a husband's elder brother.
Question 7
What relation would the wife of your father's brother be to you?
- Aमामी
- Bचाची/ताई
- Cबुआ
- Dमौसी
Explanation
Your father's brother's wife is called 'chachi' (if he's the younger brother) or 'tai' (if he's the elder brother) — not mami, bua or mausi.
Question 8
Which is the most suitable activity for a teacher to use to teach Class 2 children about family relationships?
- Aरिश्तों की जटिल परिभाषाएँ श्यामपट्ट पर लिखवाना
- Bचित्रों व चार्ट के साथ 'मेरा परिवार' वंश-वृक्ष बनवाना
- Cकेवल पाठ्यपुस्तक पढ़कर सुनाना
- Dपरीक्षा में लिखित निबंध देना
Explanation
Concrete, picture-based activities work better in the younger classes — building a family tree teaches relationships through experience.
Question 9
If a child is confused between "Chacha" and "Mama," what should the teacher do first?
- Aबच्चे को डाँटकर सही याद करने को कहना
- Bपिता पक्ष व माता पक्ष के रिश्तों को अलग रंग/प्रतीक से चार्ट में दिखाना
- Cटॉपिक को पाठ्यक्रम से हटा देना
- Dकेवल पुस्तक की परिभाषा दोबारा पढ़वाना
Explanation
A visual distinction, such as different colours in a chart, helps children clearly tell apart relations on the father's side and the mother's side, which works better than scolding or rote repetition.
Question 10
What is your sister's husband called?
- Aजीजा
- Bदेवर
- Cसाढू
- Dसमधी
Explanation
Your sister's husband is called 'jija'. Sadhu is the term for your wife's sister's husband.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions come from Family and Relationships in REET?+
REET 2024 had 1 question from this topic. It's a small but regularly-asked part of EVS's 30 questions, especially in the form of logically identifying relationships.
What's the difference between a nuclear family and a joint family?+
A nuclear family has only parents and their children, while a joint family has multiple generations living together, such as grandparents and uncles and aunts.
What do you call a maternal uncle's wife?+
A maternal uncle's (mama's) wife is called 'mami' — she is the woman married to your mother's brother.
What is the easiest method for solving relationship-based reasoning questions?+
Placing yourself at the centre and building a small family tree, then working through each link in order, is the easiest and most error-free method.
What's the difference between paternal, maternal and aunt's-side cousins?+
Chacha-chachi's children are called 'chachera' (paternal cousins), mama-mami's children are 'mamera' (maternal-uncle cousins), and mausi-mausa's children are 'mausera' (maternal-aunt cousins) — each name reflects the side of the family they come from.
Read next
Official Sources
Change Log
- 17 September 2026 — English page published — mirrors the fact-checked Hindi page, independently bilingual-accuracy checked