Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.Zoya said, “My…

The correct answer is Option (2) → Zoya said that her brother was preparing for his board exams then, so he was not gaming at all.

Changing a statement into indirect speech:

Change	Direct	Indirect	Why
Joining word	“ ” (quotation marks)	that	“That” joins a reported statement. “Said” stays, as no listener is named.
Tense change	is preparing, is not gaming	was preparing, was not gaming	“Is preparing” is in the present continuous. The present continuous is formed with am / is / are + V-ing. After the past “said” it becomes the past continuous “was preparing”. The past continuous is formed with was / were + V-ing. “Is not gaming” becomes “was not gaming” in the same way.
Pronoun change	My	her	The speaker is Zoya, so “my brother” becomes “her brother”.
Time word	now	then	The words are reported later, so “now” becomes “then”.
Full sentence	Zoya said, “My brother is preparing for his board exams now, so he is not gaming at all.”	Zoya said that her brother was preparing for his board exams then, so he was not gaming at all.

“Are” + -ing becomes “were” + -ing, and “am” + -ing becomes “was” + -ing. Example: The boys said, “We are painting the gate.” → The boys said that they were painting the gate.

Why the Other Options are Incorrect?

Option 1: Zoya said that her brother was preparing for his board exams now, so he was not gaming at all. — Incorrect. “Now” is left unchanged. In the report it becomes “then”.

Option 3: Zoya said that her brother had been preparing for his board exams then, so he had not been gaming at all. — Incorrect. The present continuous moves back only one step, to “was preparing”. “Had been preparing” is the change for “was preparing”.

Option 4: Zoya said that my brother was preparing for his board exams then, so he was not gaming at all. — Incorrect. “My” is not changed. The brother is Zoya’s, so it must be “her brother”.