Narration — direct & indirect speech MCQ — 15 Practice Questions with Answers

Explanation

This is a 'which is incorrect' item, so the answer is the faulty reported form. A negative imperative may be reported with 'ordered/told + object + not to + verb' or with 'forbade + object + to + verb'. Options A, B and C are all grammatically defensible. Option D uses the awkward and unidiomatic pattern 'asked ... that he should not' for a command, and it keeps 'answers' in the present after a past reporting verb. Therefore D is the incorrect transformation.

Explanation

Narration changes depend on the function of the direct sentence, not merely on tense. A polite imperative with 'please do not' is reported by 'requested ... not to'. A factual declaration by a witness is reported with 'stated that', with 'saw' backshifted to 'had seen'. A wh-question loses the question mark and takes statement word order: 'asked what had prompted me'. An exclamation with 'Alas!' is reported as regret. Hence the correct sequence is 1-P, 2-Q, 3-R, 4-S.

Explanation

The reporting verb must match the force of the direct sentence, not merely its surface punctuation. "Please allow me" is a polite request, so it is reported with "requested". "Alas!" marks sorrow, so "exclaimed with sorrow" is appropriate. "May your efforts be rewarded" is an optative sentence expressing a blessing or wish; "blessed" fits the context. "Do not disclose" is a negative command, so it is best reported as "forbade". Hence the correct sequence is 1-b, 2-d, 3-a, 4-c.

Explanation

Both statements are correct. In a wh-question, the wh-word is retained: "Why did you resign?" becomes "asked why he had resigned." The reported form is no longer an independent question; it is a noun clause governed by the reporting verb "asked". Therefore the auxiliary-fronted order "did you resign" changes to statement order, and the auxiliary "did" disappears during tense backshift. The reason explains the assertion, because clause function is exactly why interrogative word order is not retained.

Explanation

The question asks for the incorrect conversion. In reported speech, time expressions usually shift when the reporting point changes. "Last year" should become "the previous year" or "the year before". The past passive "was restored" may also be backshifted to "had been restored" if the reporting verb is in the past. Option D leaves both the tense and the time expression unchanged without any context that justifies keeping them. Options A, B and C apply standard narration rules correctly.