Q's mother is the sister of P and the daughter of M. S is the daughter of P and the sister of T. How is M related to T?

Introduction / Context:

This question involves four named individuals (Q, P, M, S, T) and requires you to follow relationships through both siblings and generations. The twist is that the gender of M is not specified, so M's relationship to T can only be determined up to the level of grandparent, not specifically grandfather or grandmother.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Q's mother is the sister of P.
• Q's mother is also the daughter of M.
• S is the daughter of P and the sister of T.
• We are asked how M is related to T.
• The gender of M is not given; M could be male or female.

Concept / Approach:

We start by identifying generations and sibling relationships. Q's mother and P are siblings and both are children of M, so M is in an older generation as their parent. S and T are children of P, which puts them yet another generation below. As a result, M is a grandparent of T. Because M's gender is unknown, we must allow for both grandfather and grandmother as possibilities and choose the option that reflects this ambiguity.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

If we assume M is male, then M is T's grandfather. If we instead assume M is female, then M is T's grandmother. Both interpretations fully satisfy all given statements. There is no textual clue that forces M to be male or female. Because both are possible and consistent, the most accurate description is simply "grandparent", or as given in the options, "grandfather or grandmother".

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Marking M strictly as "Father" would incorrectly treat M as being in the parent generation of T, but M is actually one generation further up.

Choosing only "Grandfather" or only "Grandmother" would assume a gender that is not specified in the question, and so would go beyond the information given.

Common Pitfalls:

Students often assume that a person with an unspecified gender is male by default and jump to "grandfather", or they ignore the ambiguity entirely. In well-constructed reasoning questions, you must pay attention to what is not said as much as what is said. When the gender of a key person is not explicitly given, the safest and logically correct choice is usually the one that keeps both possibilities open.

Final Answer:

M is related to T as grandfather or grandmother, i.e., as T's grandparent.