In a joint family there are: father, mother, three married sons, and one unmarried daughter. Of the three sons, two have 2 daughters each, and one has a son. How many <em>female</em> members are there in the family (counting blood relations only)?

Introduction / Context:
Family-count questions often test careful reading of who is included and whether in-laws are counted. Here, the phrase “three married sons” can tempt you to include daughters-in-law, but many exam conventions count only blood relatives unless explicitly asked otherwise. We will compute both ways and then select the option consistent with typical reasoning-test conventions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Top generation: father (male), mother (female).
• Three sons (all married), plus one unmarried daughter (female).
• Grandchildren: two sons each have 2 daughters (total 4 girls); the remaining son has 1 son (male).
• Unless explicitly stated, count blood relations only (exclude daughters-in-law), a common convention in such questions.

Concept / Approach:
Compute female members by category and apply the “blood only” interpretation. The daughters-in-law exist (since sons are married) but are not counted unless the problem asks to include spouses/in-laws explicitly. We will list both counts for clarity and pick the one that matches the options.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
The sons are male; the father and the lone grandson are also male. There is no hidden female specified beyond the listed categories. The computed 6 aligns with standard exam expectations and the provided options.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• 2 / 3: Far too low; ignores multiple females explicitly mentioned.
• 7: Would require counting one more blood-related female that is not present, or mixing counting rules inconsistently.
• None of these: Not needed since 6 matches and is consistent with standard conventions.

Common Pitfalls:

• Including daughters-in-law when the question implicitly counts blood relations only.
• Forgetting to multiply the granddaughters correctly (two sons produce four girls in total).

Final Answer:

6