Reported Speech – Questions MCQs Quiz | Class 9
This is an online MCQ quiz for Class IX Communicative English (Code 101), Unit: Grammar, focusing on the topic of Reported Speech for questions. This quiz covers the conversion of both Yes/No and Wh-questions from direct to indirect speech. Attempt all 10 questions, click ‘Submit Quiz’ to view your score and detailed explanations, and then download the PDF of your answer sheet.
Understanding Reported Speech for Questions
When we convert a question from direct speech to indirect (or reported) speech, the structure of the sentence changes significantly. The question format is turned into a statement, and various rules regarding tense, pronouns, and adverbs are applied. The main goal is to report what someone asked, not to ask the question directly again.
Key Rules for Converting Questions to Reported Speech
- Reporting Verb: The reporting verb ‘said’ or ‘said to’ is changed to ‘asked’, ‘enquired’, ‘wondered’, or ‘wanted to know’. ‘Asked’ is the most common.
- Punctuation: The question mark (?) is removed and replaced with a full stop (.). Quotation marks (” “) are also removed.
- Sentence Structure: The interrogative form (e.g., “Are you…?”) is changed to the assertive form (e.g., “…if I was…”). The subject comes before the verb.
- Tense, Pronoun, and Adverb Changes: These changes follow the same rules as for converting statements. For example, Present Simple becomes Past Simple, ‘I’ might become ‘he/she’, and ‘now’ becomes ‘then’.
1. Converting Yes/No Questions
Yes/No questions are those that can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ (e.g., “Do you like coffee?”). When reporting these questions, we use the conjunctions ‘if’ or ‘whether’ after the reporting verb.
Structure: Reporting Verb + if/whether + Subject + Verb + …
Example 1 (Direct): She said to me, “Are you coming to the party?”
Example 1 (Indirect): She asked me if I was coming to the party.
Example 2 (Direct): He said, “Can you help me?”
Example 2 (Indirect): He asked whether I could help him.
2. Converting Wh-Questions
Wh-questions are those that start with a question word like ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘why’, ‘who’, ‘how’, etc. When reporting these questions, we do not use ‘if’ or ‘whether’. The Wh-word itself acts as the conjunction.
Structure: Reporting Verb + Wh-word + Subject + Verb + …
Example 1 (Direct): The teacher said to the student, “Why are you late?”
Example 1 (Indirect): The teacher asked the student why he was late.
Example 2 (Direct): She asked, “What is your name?”
Example 2 (Indirect): She asked what my name was.
Changes in Tense and Adverbs: A Quick Reference
The following table summarizes common changes when converting from direct to indirect speech. This applies to both statements and questions.
| Direct Speech | Indirect Speech |
|---|---|
| Present Simple (do/does) | Past Simple (did) |
| Present Continuous (is/am/are) | Past Continuous (was/were) |
| Past Simple (did) | Past Perfect (had done) |
| Present Perfect (has/have) | Past Perfect (had) |
| will / can / may | would / could / might |
| this / these | that / those |
| here / now | there / then |
| today / tomorrow | that day / the next day |
Quick Revision Points
- Change reporting verb to ‘asked’ or ‘enquired’.
- For Yes/No questions, introduce ‘if’ or ‘whether’.
- For Wh-questions, use the Wh-word as the connector.
- Always change the question structure (interrogative) to a statement structure (assertive).
- Remove quotation marks and the question mark. End with a full stop.
- Apply the standard rules for changing tenses, pronouns, and time/place adverbs.
Practice Questions
Test your understanding with these additional questions. Try to convert them into reported speech.
- He said to his friend, “Have you ever been to Paris?”
- The doctor said to the patient, “What did you eat yesterday?”
- My mother said to me, “Will you clean your room now?”
- “Who left the door open?” the manager asked.
- She said, “Do you understand the instructions?”
