Lakshmi and Meena are Rohan's wives. Shalini is Meena's step-daughter. How is Lakshmi related to Shalini?

Introduction / Context:

This question involves a slightly unusual scenario where Rohan has two wives, Lakshmi and Meena, and Shalini is described as Meena's step-daughter. You are asked to determine Lakshmi's relationship to Shalini. It tests whether you understand how step-relations work and how they point back to the biological parent in such a family structure.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Lakshmi and Meena are both wives of Rohan.
• Shalini is Meena's step-daughter.
• A step-daughter of a woman is the daughter of that woman's spouse from another relationship.
• Therefore, Shalini is the daughter of Rohan, but not the biological daughter of Meena.
• We must find how Lakshmi is related to Shalini.
• We assume, in the simplest reading, that Shalini's mother is Lakshmi, the other wife of Rohan, unless otherwise stated.

Concept / Approach:

Since Meena is said to be Shalini's step-mother, Shalini must be a child of Rohan from a different marriage or relationship. In this question, the only other wife explicitly mentioned is Lakshmi. Hence, the natural and exam-standard assumption is that Lakshmi is Shalini's biological mother. Meena, as the second wife, has a step-parent relationship to Shalini, while Lakshmi has the direct mother–daughter relationship.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Construct a minimal family tree. Let Rohan first marry Lakshmi and they have a daughter Shalini. Later, Rohan marries Meena. Meena did not give birth to Shalini, but after marriage she becomes Shalini's step-mother. This matches the phrase "Shalini is Meena's step-daughter". In this setting, Lakshmi is clearly the mother of Shalini. The puzzle does not introduce any other possible mother, so this is the most consistent arrangement.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Lakshmi is not Shalini's sister, because Shalini is a child of Rohan and Lakshmi, not a sibling in the same generation.

Lakshmi is not Shalini's step-mother; that role is explicitly assigned to Meena. A step-mother is not the biological mother, whereas Lakshmi is the natural candidate for the biological mother.

"Mother-in-law" would indicate that Shalini is married to Lakshmi's son, which is completely unsupported by the given information.

Common Pitfalls:

Students sometimes confuse who is the step-parent and who is the biological parent. A step-parent is married to one's biological parent and is not the person who gave birth to or fathered the child. Once you see "Meena's step-daughter", you should immediately think that Meena's husband (Rohan) is Shalini's biological parent, and the other named wife (Lakshmi) is the likely biological mother. Keeping this distinction clear helps avoid choosing "step-mother" when the question clearly asks about Lakshmi, not Meena.

Final Answer:

Lakshmi is Shalini's mother.