Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
“Is your brother at home, Meena?” asked the postman at the gate.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The postman at the gate asked Meena if her brother was at home.
Changing a question with "is" into indirect speech:
| Change | Direct | Indirect | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reporting verb | asked the postman | The postman asked Meena | "Meena" is the person spoken to. Her name moves out of the quote and comes after "asked". |
| Joining word | " " (quotation marks) | if | The answer is yes or no. So "if" joins the question. |
| Tense change | Is your brother | her brother was | "Is" is in the simple present. The verb "be" in the simple present is am / is / are. After the past "asked" it becomes the simple past "was". The verb "be" in the simple past is was / were. The subject comes before "was", and the "?" goes. |
| Pronoun change | your | her | The postman spoke to Meena. So "your" becomes "her". |
| Full sentence | "Is your brother at home, Meena?" asked the postman at the gate. | The postman at the gate asked Meena if her brother was at home. |
Am, is and are all change to "was" or "were" in this way. Example: Rahul said to me, "Are you ready?" → Rahul asked me if I was ready.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The postman at the gate asked Meena what her brother was doing at home. — Incorrect. The postman only asked whether the brother was at home. "What he was doing" is a different question.
Option 2: The postman at the gate asked Meena if her brother is at home. — Incorrect. "Is" stays in the present. After "asked" it should be "was".
Option 3: The postman at the gate asked Meena that if her brother was at home. — Incorrect. "That if" puts two joining words together. A reported question takes only "if".