Question

In the questions below, the sentences have been given in Direct/Indirect speech. From the given alternatives, choose the one which best expresses the given sentence in Indirect/Direct speech.
The little girl said to her mother, "Did the sun rise in the East?"

• A. The little girl said to her mother that the sun rose in the East.
• B. The little girl asked her mother if the sun rose in the East.
• C. The little girl said to her mother if the sun rises in the East.
• D. The little girl asked her mother if the sun is in the East.

Hint:

When converting questions from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech, remember to change the word order and adjust the verb tense appropriately.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the question.
The sentence is in Direct Speech with a yes/no question. In Indirect Speech, the question becomes a statement, and the verb tense changes. "Did" becomes "rose" in the past tense.

Step 2: Analyzing the options.
(A) The little girl said to her mother that the sun rose in the East: Incorrect — This is a statement, not a question. The original sentence is a question.
(B) The little girl asked her mother if the sun rose in the East: Correct — This is the correct conversion into Indirect Speech for a yes/no question.
(C) The little girl said to her mother if the sun rises in the East: Incorrect — This is incorrect because the verb tense should be in the past, "rose", not present.
(D) The little girl asked her mother if the sun is in the East: Incorrect — The verb "is" should be "rose" to match the past tense.

Step 3: Conclusion.
The correct answer is (B) The little girl asked her mother if the sun rose in the East.

Answer 2

Converting a yes/no question from direct to indirect speech requires three changes: the reporting verb "said to" becomes "asked," the question format is replaced with a statement introduced by "if" or "whether," and the verb tense shifts one step into the past. Testing each option against all three rules identifies the correct conversion.

1. The little girl said to her mother that the sun rose in the East: This correctly shifts the tense to "rose," but it uses "said... that," treating the original question as if it were a plain statement, which loses the fact that a yes/no question was being asked.
2. The little girl asked her mother if the sun rose in the East: This correctly changes "said to" into "asked," introduces the reported question with "if," and shifts the tense from "did rise" to "rose," satisfying all three requirements for converting a yes/no question.
3. The little girl said to her mother if the sun rises in the East: This uses "if" appropriately but keeps the reporting verb as "said to" instead of "asked," and also fails to shift "rises" back into the past tense.
4. The little girl asked her mother if the sun is in the East: This gets "asked" and "if" right, but changes the verb to "is," dropping the original meaning about the sun rising and also failing the tense shift.

Only one option changes the reporting verb to "asked," reframes the question with "if," and shifts the tense correctly, all at the same time.

Therefore, the correct answer is The little girl asked her mother if the sun rose in the East.