Out of the four alternatives, select the one that suggests the same sentence in Indirect Speech.
He said, "How can a Zebra talk?"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → He wondered how a Zebra could talk.
| Direct | Indirect |
|---|---|
| He said, "How can a Zebra talk?" | He wondered how a Zebra could talk. |
Question in indirect speech:
- Reporting verb: "said" becomes a verb of asking or thinking; "How can a Zebra talk?" expresses surprise and doubt, so wondered suits it.
- Tense change: the reporting verb is in the past, so can changes to could.
- Pronoun changes: none; "a Zebra" stays as it is.
- Words of nearness (time and place): none in this sentence.
- Word order: the question becomes a statement: how + subject + verb ("how a Zebra could talk"); the question mark goes.
Example: She said, "How can he run so fast?" → She wondered how he could run so fast.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: He wondered how a Zebra talks. — Incorrect. It loses the modal: "can" should become "could", and "talks" changes the sense from ability to habit.
Option 2: He questioned a Zebra talking. — Incorrect. It means he put questions to a talking zebra; the wonder at its ability is lost.
Option 4: He was amazed how a Zebra can talk. — Incorrect. The tense is not changed: "can" should become "could" after the past reporting verb.