Choose the correct transformation of the given sentence in Indirect Speech:
Simran said to the stationer, “What is the price of this school bag?”
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Simran asked the stationer what the price of that school bag was.
Changing a “What is ...?” question into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | said to the stationer | asked the stationer | Simran puts a question. So “said to” becomes “asked”. |
| Joining word | “ ” (quotation marks) | what | The question word “what” itself joins the question. |
| Word order | What is the price of this school bag | what the price of that school bag was | The question becomes a plain statement. The subject “the price of that school bag” comes first, and “was” comes after it. |
| Tense change | is | was | “Is” is in the simple present. The verb “be” in the simple present is am / is / are. After the past “said” it becomes the simple past “was”. The verb “be” in the simple past is was / were. |
| Time and place words | this | that | The words are reported later, away from the shop. So “this” becomes “that”. |
| Full sentence | Simran said to the stationer, “What is the price of this school bag?” | Simran asked the stationer what the price of that school bag was. |
“Are” moves to the end in the same way and becomes “were”. Example: Sita said to me, “Where are your books?” → Sita asked me where my books were.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Simran asked the stationer that what the price of that school bag was. — Incorrect. “That what” puts two joining words together. A reported question is joined by the question word alone.
Option 2: Simran asked the stationer what the price of this school bag was. — Incorrect. “This” is left unchanged. In the report it becomes “that”.
Option 4: Simran asked the stationer what the price of that school bag is. — Incorrect. The present “is” is kept. After the past “said” it must become “was”.