WBCS Prelims Direct and Indirect Speech Questions 2023
1. Choose the correct option to frame a question from the following sentence, using the appropriate punctuation—
I asked him why he wasn’t in class.
(A) I asked him – “Why you not in class?”
(B) I asked him, “Why you are not in class?”
(C) I asked him: ‘Why you are not in class?’
(D) I asked him, “Why are you not in class?”
Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (D) I asked him, “Why are you not in class?”
Explanation: While changing indirect speech to direct speech, restore the original question form. The auxiliary verb are comes before the subject you, and the question is enclosed within quotation marks.
Example:
- Indirect: She asked me where I lived.
- Direct: She asked me, “Where do you live?”
2. Choose the option that correctly changes the following sentence into indirect speech
He said, “I will go there tomorrow.”
(A) He said that I will go there tomorrow.
(B) He told that he shall go there tomorrow.
(C) He said that he will go there after today.
(D) He said that he would go there the next day.
Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: (D) He said that he would go there the next day.
Explanation: The reporting verb said is in the Simple Past Tense, so the tense and time expression change in indirect speech:
- Will → Would
- Tomorrow → The next day
Example:
- Direct: She said, “I will call you tomorrow.”
- Indirect: She said that she would call me the next day.
Exam Tip: Common changes in indirect speech:
- Will → Would
- Shall → Should/Would (depending on the context)
- Tomorrow → The next day
- Yesterday → The previous day
- Today → That day
- Here → There (if the place changes)
WBCS Prelims Direct and Indirect Speech Questions 2020
3. Choose the correct indirect statement.
He said, “Grass is green.”
(A) He told that grass is green.
(B) He told that grass was green.
(C) He told that grass had been green.
(D) He told that grass will always be green.
Answer & Explanation
Correct Answer: None of the given options is grammatically correct.
Explanation: The correct indirect speech is:
He said that grass is green.
Since “Grass is green” expresses a universal truth, the tense does not change in indirect speech, even though the reporting verb is in the past.
Also, told cannot be used without an object. We say:
- He said that… (Correct)
- He told me that… (Correct)
- He told that… (Incorrect)
Example:
- Direct: The teacher said, “The Earth revolves around the Sun.”
- Indirect: The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Exam Tip: Two important rules:
- Universal truths retain the Simple Present Tense in indirect speech.
- Use said when there is no object; use told only when it is followed by an object (told me, told us, told them, etc.).
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