All six members of a family A, B, C, D, E and F are travelling together. B is the son of C, but C is not the mother of B. A and C are a married couple. E is the brother of C. D is the daughter of A. F is the brother of B. Based on this information, how many male members are there in the family?

Introduction / Context:
This family reasoning question asks you to determine the number of male members in a six-member family, given a set of relationships and gender clues. These problems test your ability to combine statements like son, daughter, brother and married couple into a consistent family structure and then count how many people are male.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• B is the son of C, and C is not the mother of B. Therefore, C is the father of B and is male.
• A and C are a married couple, so A is the spouse of C. Since C is male, A is his wife and female.
• E is the brother of C, so E is male.
• D is the daughter of A, so D is a female child of A (and C).
• F is the brother of B, so F is male.
• B is explicitly called the son of C, so B is male.

Concept / Approach:
The plan is to assign gender step by step using words like son, daughter and brother, then count all the males. Son and brother both indicate males, while daughter and wife indicate females. Once you mark all six family members as male or female, the count of male members can be read off directly. The key is not to overcomplicate the family tree: the question is about counting genders, not deducing further relationships.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: From B is the son of C and C is not the mother, conclude that C is male (the father) and B is male (the son).Step 2: From A and C are a married couple, and C is male, infer that A is the female spouse, so A is female.Step 3: From E is the brother of C, conclude that E is male.Step 4: From D is the daughter of A, deduce that D is female.Step 5: From F is the brother of B, conclude that F is male.Step 6: Now list genders: A (female), B (male), C (male), D (female), E (male), F (male). There are four males in total.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check that no hidden assumption changes the gender count. A can only be female because she is the wife in a married couple where C is the father. B and F are explicitly called son and brother, so they must be male. C, being the father of B, is definitely male. E is labeled brother of C and is also male. D is explicitly a daughter and therefore female. No other interpretations are possible if the clues are read correctly, so the distribution of two females and four males is fixed.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1 and 2 males are far too low; we already have C and B as males, and the words brother add more.3 males would require treating one of the clearly male-labeled members (B, C, E, F) as non-male, which contradicts the text.5 males would require treating either A or D as male, which is impossible because they are wife and daughter respectively.

Common Pitfalls:
A typical mistake is to rush through the statements and miss that E is the brother of C or that F is the brother of B, thereby undercounting males. Another error is to misread C is not the mother of B and think C might still be female, which would break the logic. Always translate each role word carefully before counting.

Final Answer:
There are 4 male members in the family.