Pointing to a photograph, a person tells his friend, "She is the granddaughter of the elder brother of my father." How is the girl in the photograph related to this man?

Introduction / Context:

This question involves a man pointing to a photograph and describing the girl as "the granddaughter of the elder brother of my father". The structure passes through an uncle and his descendants. The task is to determine how that girl is related to the man, using standard Indian family terminology often used in reasoning questions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The speaker is a man.
• He says: "She is the granddaughter of the elder brother of my father."
• "The elder brother of my father" is the man's paternal uncle.
• The girl is the granddaughter (female grandchild) of that uncle.
• We are asked to describe the relation of the girl to the speaker.
• We assume no step-relations and a typical extended family structure.

Concept / Approach:

The elder brother of the man's father is his paternal uncle. The granddaughter of that uncle is the child of the uncle's son or daughter. That intermediate child is the man's cousin, and the girl in the photo is that cousin's daughter. In many exam questions, the daughter of one's cousin is treated as a "niece" in a broad sense, reflecting a younger-generation relative closely connected through the family line.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

We can check generational positions. The speaker and cousin C share grandparents, making them the same generation. Child G is one generation below C and thus one generation below the speaker. This is the same generational gap that the speaker has with the children of his siblings (his nieces and nephews). Therefore, "niece" correctly conveys both the age gap and the closeness of the relationship, even though strictly she is a cousin's daughter.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

She cannot be the speaker's sister because sisters share parents, and the girl's direct ancestor is the speaker's uncle, not his father.

She is not the speaker's aunt, as an aunt would be in an older generation, not a younger one.

She is not a sister-in-law, as there is no mention of marriage involving the speaker or his siblings that would connect her in that way.

Common Pitfalls:

Students sometimes stop at "granddaughter of my uncle" and conclude "cousin", forgetting that the uncle's children (not grandchildren) are the cousins. The grandchildren of an uncle are one generation further down. Always clearly map the levels: uncle (one generation up), his child (cousin, same generation), cousin's child (one generation down, niece/nephew type relation).

Final Answer:

The girl in the photograph is the man's niece (cousin's daughter in extended family terms).