Q1. Choose the correct indirect speech: He said, "I am tired."
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Answer: D. He said that he was tired.
With a past reporting verb, 'am' changes to 'was' and 'I' to 'he'.
Direct and Indirect Speech Questions for SSC CGL (with Answers)
19 Direct and Indirect Speech MCQs from the English Comprehension section, with answers and short explanations.
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Q2. Choose the correct indirect speech: He said, "Let us go for a walk."
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Answer: C. He proposed that they should go for a walk.
When 'Let us' expresses a proposal, it is reported with 'proposed/suggested that' + subject + 'should': 'He proposed that they should go for a walk.'
Q3. Choose the correct indirect speech: The teacher said, "The earth revolves around the sun."
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Answer: C. The teacher said that the earth revolves around the sun.
The tense of a universal truth does not change in indirect speech. Also, 'told' needs an object, so 'said that' is correct: 'The teacher said that the earth revolves around the sun.'
Q4. Choose the correct indirect speech: She said to me, "Do you like coffee?"
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Answer: A. She asked me if I liked coffee.
A yes/no question is reported with 'asked' + 'if/whether', statement word order and backshifted tense: 'She asked me if I liked coffee.'
Q5. Choose the correct indirect speech: He said to her, "Please sit down."
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Answer: D. He requested her to sit down.
Imperatives with 'please' use 'requested' + object + to-infinitive, and 'please' is dropped: 'He requested her to sit down.'
Q6. Choose the correct indirect speech: Ram said, "Alas! I have lost my purse."
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Answer: B. Ram exclaimed sadly that he had lost his purse.
The interjection 'Alas' is replaced by 'exclaimed sadly' (or 'with sorrow'), 'I' becomes 'he', 'my' becomes 'his', and 'have lost' becomes 'had lost'.
Q7. Choose the correct indirect speech: He said to me, "Where are you going?"
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Answer: D. He asked me where I was going.
'Said to' becomes 'asked' for questions; the question takes statement order, pronouns change, and the present continuous shifts to past continuous: 'He asked me where I was going.'
Q8. Choose the correct indirect speech: She said, "I will come tomorrow."
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Answer: C. She said that she would come the next day.
With a past reporting verb, 'will' becomes 'would' and 'tomorrow' becomes 'the next day' (or 'the following day'): 'She said that she would come the next day.'
Q9. Choose the correct indirect speech: The captain said to the soldiers, "Do not move."
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Answer: B. The captain ordered the soldiers not to move.
A negative imperative is reported with a verb like 'ordered' + object + 'not to' + base verb: 'The captain ordered the soldiers not to move.'
Q10. Choose the correct indirect speech: He said, "I have finished my work."
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Answer: A. He said that he had finished his work.
With a past reporting verb, the present perfect becomes past perfect, and 'I/my' become 'he/his': 'He said that he had finished his work.'
Q11. Choose the correct indirect speech: He said to me, "Will you help me?"
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Answer: C. He asked me if I would help him.
A yes/no question is reported with 'asked' + 'if'. 'Will' becomes 'would', 'you' becomes 'I' and 'me' becomes 'him'.
Q12. Choose the correct indirect speech: The old man said to the child, "May you live long!"
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Answer: A. The old man prayed that the child might live long.
An optative sentence (a wish or blessing) is reported with 'prayed' or 'wished'. With a past reporting verb, 'may' becomes 'might' and 'you' becomes 'the child'.
Q13. Choose the correct indirect speech: Mother said to me, "Don't play in the sun."
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Answer: D. Mother told me not to play in the sun.
In a negative imperative, 'said to' becomes a verb like 'told', and 'Don't' + verb becomes 'not to' + verb.
Q14. Choose the correct indirect speech: She said, "What a beautiful garden it is!"
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Answer: B. She exclaimed that it was a very beautiful garden.
An exclamatory sentence is reported with 'exclaimed that'. 'What a' becomes 'very' and the tense shifts back: 'is' becomes 'was'.
Q15. Choose the correct indirect speech: She said, "I am cooking dinner now."
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Answer: D. She said that she was cooking dinner then.
With a past reporting verb, 'am cooking' becomes 'was cooking', 'I' becomes 'she' and 'now' becomes 'then'.
Q16. Choose the correct indirect speech: The teacher said to the boy, "Why are you late?"
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Answer: C. The teacher asked the boy why he was late.
A 'wh-' question is reported with 'asked', keeps the question word without 'that', uses statement word order (he was) and shifts the tense back.
Q17. Choose the correct indirect speech: The stranger said to me, "Can you show me the way to the station?"
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Answer: B. The stranger asked me if I could show him the way to the station.
A yes/no question is reported with 'asked' + 'if'. 'Can' becomes 'could', 'you' becomes 'I' and 'me' becomes 'him'.
Q18. Choose the correct indirect speech: He said, "I have been reading since morning."
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Answer: A. He said that he had been reading since morning.
With a past reporting verb, present perfect continuous (have been reading) becomes past perfect continuous (had been reading), and 'I' becomes 'he'.
Q19. Choose the correct indirect speech: He said to me, "I met your brother yesterday."
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Answer: C. He told me that he had met my brother the previous day.
'Said to' becomes 'told'; simple past 'met' becomes past perfect 'had met'; 'your' becomes 'my' (it refers to the listener); 'yesterday' becomes 'the previous day'.