Introducing a man, a woman said, "He is the only son of my mother's mother." How is the woman related to the man?

Introduction / Context:

This blood-relation question asks you to interpret a description involving “my mother's mother” and “only son” and then determine how the woman is related to the man. These kinds of questions typically aim at relationships like uncle, aunt, niece or nephew, depending on which generational direction is being described.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The speaker is a woman.
• She says about a man: “He is the only son of my mother's mother.”
• “My mother's mother” refers to her maternal grandmother.
• The man is the only son of that grandmother.
• We assume no unusual family situations beyond this unless stated.

Concept / Approach:

First identify who “my mother's mother” is, then who her “only son” is, and finally describe the relationship between the speaker and that son. Generational thinking is crucial: a grandmother's son belongs to the same generation as the speaker's mother, and hence is above the speaker's generation. The opposite direction, from that man down to the speaker, yields the correct kinship term.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

We can re-word the original statement as: “He is my maternal uncle.” If that is true, then naturally the reverse relationship is that the woman is his niece. Since the options are written from the woman's perspective in terms of her relation to him, “Niece” is the term that correctly describes her position relative to her uncle.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

“Mother” would make the woman the parent of the man, which contradicts the generation difference implied by “grandmother's son”.

“Aunt” would place her in the generation above the man, while she is actually a generation below.

“Sister” would put them in the same generation and with the same parents, which does not fit the chain of relationships described.

Common Pitfalls:

It is easy to mix up whether the relation should be stated from the man's side or the woman's side. Always read carefully: “How is the woman related to the man?” means we must answer from the man's point of view. Drawing a small tree with “grandmother”, “mother”, “uncle” and “me” labelled clearly can make such questions much simpler.

Final Answer:

The woman is the man's niece.