Class 9 English Kaveri Chapter 5: Reported Speech MCQ Quiz with Answers

The rationalized CBSE Class 9 English syllabus prioritizes objective assessment through MCQs because they test conceptual clarity in minimal time. Reported Speech—the transformation of a speaker's exact words into a narrator's paraphrase—demands precision: a single missing comma or incorrect tense shift changes meaning entirely. MCQs force you to engage with four distinct options, mimicking real exam pressure. The new pattern does NOT reward rote learning; instead, it rewards understanding of why 'He said that he will go' is wrong (future tense cannot follow past 'said') while 'He said that he would go' is correct (backshift rule applies). CBSE Class 9 exams now include: (1) direct-to-indirect conversions with multiple-clause sentences, (2) reporting of questions (interrogative backshift), (3) reporting of imperatives and exclamations, and (4) identification of reporting verb correctness. Mastery of MCQs trains you to spot these nuances instantly. Each correct MCQ answer builds your grammar accuracy for both objective sections (worth 20 marks) and writing tasks (emails, reports, dialogues). This quiz format mirrors the actual term-end exam structure, reducing surprises on test day.

**Q1.** Convert to indirect speech: 'I am very happy,' she said. (A) She said that she is very happy. (B) She said that she was very happy. (C) She said that she had been very happy. (D) She said that she will be very happy. **Answer: (B)** — When converting direct to indirect, present tense 'am' becomes past 'was' (backshift rule: present → past simple). **Q2.** 'He plays football,' Raj said. (A) Raj said that he played football. (B) Raj said that he plays football. (C) Raj said that he had played football. (D) Raj said that he will play football. **Answer: (A)** — Simple present 'plays' becomes simple past 'played' in reported speech after past reporting verb 'said'. **Q3.** 'They will come tomorrow,' she said. (A) She said that they will come the next day. (B) She said that they would come tomorrow. (C) She said that they would come the next day. (D) She said that they came the next day. **Answer: (C)** — Future tense 'will come' becomes 'would come' (backshift), and 'tomorrow' changes to 'the next day' (adverbial shift). **Q4.** 'I have completed my work,' he said. (A) He said that he has completed his work. (B) He said that he had completed his work. (C) He said that he completed his work. (D) He said that he was completing his work. **Answer: (B)** — Present perfect 'have completed' becomes past perfect 'had completed'; 'my' becomes 'his'. **Q5.** 'She is reading a book,' Ravi said. (A) Ravi said that she is reading a book. (B) Ravi said that she was reading a book. (C) Ravi said that she has read a book. (D) Ravi said that she reads a book. **Answer: (B)** — Present continuous 'is reading' becomes past continuous 'was reading' after past 'said'. **Q6.** Convert: 'I never tell lies,' Priya said. (A) Priya said that she never told lies. (B) Priya said that she never tells lies. (C) Priya said that she has never told lies. (D) Priya said that she would never tell lies. **Answer: (A)** — Simple present with 'never' becomes simple past; first person 'I' becomes third person 'she'. **Q7.** 'The match was exciting,' they said. (A) They said that the match is exciting. (B) They said that the match was exciting. (C) They said that the match had been exciting. (D) They said that the match has been exciting. **Answer: (C)** — Simple past 'was' becomes past perfect 'had been' when reported; note: some CBSE texts accept both (B) and (C), but (C) strictly follows backshift. **Q8.** 'He does not like coffee,' Meera said. (A) Meera said that he does not like coffee. (B) Meera said that he did not like coffee. (C) Meera said that he doesn't like coffee. (D) Meera said that he would not like coffee. **Answer: (B)** — Simple present negative 'does not like' becomes simple past negative 'did not like'. **Q9.** Convert: 'We have been waiting for two hours,' the student said. (A) The student said that they have been waiting for two hours. (B) The student said that they had been waiting for two hours. (C) The student said that they were waiting for two hours. (D) The student said that they are waiting for two hours. **Answer: (B)** — Present perfect continuous 'have been waiting' becomes past perfect continuous 'had been waiting'; 'we' → 'they'. **Q10.** 'I will not come to school tomorrow,' Arun said. (A) Arun said that he will not come to school tomorrow. (B) Arun said that he would not come to school the next day. (C) Arun said that he did not come to school the next day. (D) Arun said that he would come to school tomorrow. **Answer: (B)** — Future negative 'will not come' becomes 'would not come'; 'tomorrow' → 'the next day' (adverbial shift).

**Q11.** 'I think that she is honest,' Arjun said. (A) Arjun said that he thinks that she is honest. (B) Arjun said that he thought that she was honest. (C) Arjun said that he thought that she is honest. (D) Arjun said that he thinks that she was honest. **Answer: (B)** — Both main clause ('think') and subordinate clause ('is honest') undergo backshift: 'think' → 'thought', 'is' → 'was'. **Q12.** 'Where are you going?' she asked him. (A) She asked him where are you going. (B) She asked him where he is going. (C) She asked him where he was going. (D) She asked him where was he going. **Answer: (C)** — Reporting a question: 'Where are you going?' becomes indirect with subject-verb order restored ('he was') and tense backshifted. **Q13.** 'Do you like ice cream?' Priya asked Ravi. (A) Priya asked Ravi if he likes ice cream. (B) Priya asked Ravi if he liked ice cream. (C) Priya asked Ravi does he like ice cream. (D) Priya asked Ravi whether he is liking ice cream. **Answer: (B)** — Yes/no questions use 'if' or 'whether'; tense 'like' → 'liked'; question mark becomes period. **Q14.** 'I cannot solve this problem,' the student said. (A) The student said that he cannot solve this problem. (B) The student said that he could not solve that problem. (C) The student said that he cannot solve that problem. (D) The student said that he could not solve this problem. **Answer: (B)** — Modal 'cannot' → 'could not'; 'this' (near speaker) → 'that' (distant from speaker); tense logic applies to modals. **Q15.** 'She said, "I have passed the exam and I will celebrate."' (A) She said that she passed the exam and will celebrate. (B) She said that she had passed the exam and would celebrate. (C) She said that she has passed the exam and will celebrate. (D) She said that she had passed the exam and celebrated. **Answer: (B)** — Two tense shifts in one sentence: 'have passed' → 'had passed' (perfect tense backshift); 'will celebrate' → 'would celebrate' (future backshift). **Q16.** 'What time does the bus leave?' Anil asked. (A) Anil asked what time the bus leaves. (B) Anil asked what time does the bus leave. (C) Anil asked what time the bus left. (D) Anil asked what time the bus leaves on. **Answer: (C)** — Wh-question ('What time...') converts to indirect with subject-verb order restored and tense backshifted from present 'leaves' to past 'left'. **Q17.** 'If you study hard, you will pass,' the teacher said. (A) The teacher said that if you study hard, you will pass. (B) The teacher said that if he studied hard, he would pass. (C) The teacher said that if they studied hard, they would pass. (D) The teacher said that if you study hard, you will pass. **Answer: (C)** — Conditional sentence: tense shifts (present → past, will → would) AND pronoun shifts ('you' → 'they' in reported context). **Q18.** 'Can you help me?' he asked her. (A) He asked her if she could help him. (B) He asked her if she can help him. (C) He asked her can she help him. (D) He asked her if she could help me. **Answer: (A)** — Modal 'can' → 'could'; 'you' → 'she'; 'me' → 'him'; restored subject-verb order in interrogative reported form. **Q19.** 'I have been living here since 2015,' Ram said. (A) Ram said that he has been living there since 2015. (B) Ram said that he had been living there since 2015. (C) Ram said that he is living there since 2015. (D) Ram said that he was living there since 2015. **Answer: (B)** — Present perfect continuous 'have been living' → 'had been living'; 'here' → 'there'; 'since 2015' remains unchanged (it is an objective time reference). **Q20.** 'Why didn't you attend the meeting?' the manager asked. (A) The manager asked why you didn't attend the meeting. (B) The manager asked why he had not attended the meeting. (C) The manager asked why he did not attend the meeting. (D) The manager asked why didn't he attend the meeting. **Answer: (C)** — Wh-question in past tense: 'didn't' remains simple past 'did not' (no further backshift from simple past); subject-verb order normalized; 'you' → 'he'.

**Q21. Assertion-Reason:** **Assertion (A):** 'I drive to work every day,' she said. → She said that she drove to work every day. (CORRECT) **Reason (R):** Simple present tense always becomes simple past in reported speech regardless of reporting verb tense. (A) Both A and R are true; R explains A. (B) Both A and R are true; R does NOT explain A. (C) A is true; R is false. (D) A is false; R is true. **Answer: (B)** — Assertion is correct (simple present 'drive' → simple past 'drove'), but reason is incomplete: backshift occurs specifically when the reporting verb is in past tense, not 'regardless'. **Q22.** 'You are wasting time,' the coach said angrily. What is the best indirect form? (A) The coach said angrily that you are wasting time. (B) The coach said angrily that he was wasting time. (C) The coach said angrily that they were wasting time. (D) The coach said angrily that she were wasting time. **Answer: (C)** — In directive/accusatory contexts, 'you' typically becomes 'they' (plural neutral) or remains 'you' in formal reporting; (C) is the contextually correct form. [Note: Some texts accept 'he/she' if singular, but (C) is safer.] **Q23. Assertion-Reason:** **Assertion (A):** 'He said he would come tomorrow.' → The indirect speech correctly reports a future commitment made in the past. **Reason (R):** The modal 'would' in reported speech preserves the conditional/promised tone of the original future statement. (A) Both A and R are true; R explains A. (B) Both A and R are true; R does NOT explain A. (C) A is true; R is false. (D) A is false; R is true. **Answer: (A)** — Both are true. The assertion correctly uses 'would' for past future, and the reason explains why this modal choice is appropriate: it conveys the promised/committed nature. **Q24.** 'I wish I were a pilot,' Rohan said. Which is the correct reported form? (A) Rohan said that he wishes he were a pilot. (B) Rohan said that he wished he were a pilot. (C) Rohan said that he wished he was a pilot. (D) Rohan said that he had wished he were a pilot. **Answer: (B)** — Subjunctive mood 'were' (in 'I wish I were') does NOT change; only the reporting verb 'wish' becomes past 'wished'. The subjunctive preserves the conditional/unreal tone. **Q25.** 'She said, "I am told that the project will succeed."' (A) She said that she is told that the project will succeed. (B) She said that she was told that the project would succeed. (C) She said that she was being told that the project will succeed. (D) She said that she has been told that the project would succeed. **Answer: (B)** — Passive voice present 'am told' → passive past 'was told'; embedded future 'will succeed' → 'would succeed'. Both clauses backshift. **Q26. Assertion-Reason:** **Assertion (A):** 'How long have you been working here?' the interviewer asked. → The interviewer asked how long he had been working there. **Reason (R):** The present perfect continuous tense in questions undergoes the same backshift as in statements (present perfect continuous → past perfect continuous). (A) Both A and R are true; R explains A. (B) Both A and R are true; R does NOT explain A. (C) A is true; R is false. (D) A is false; R is true. **Answer: (A)** — Both are true and linked. The assertion correctly converts the question, and the reason explains the tense backshift logic that applies uniformly. **Q27.** 'You must finish this work by Friday,' the boss said to me. (A) The boss told me that I must finish this work by Friday. (B) The boss told me that I had to finish that work by Friday. (C) The boss told me that I must finish that work by Friday. (D) The boss told me that I was to finish that work by Friday. **Answer: (B)** — Modal 'must' (obligation) → 'had to' in reported speech; 'this' → 'that'; reporting verb 'said to' becomes 'told'. Options (B) and (D) both work; (B) is more standard in CBSE texts. **Q28.** Identify the INCORRECT reported form: (A) 'I love cricket,' Virat said. → Virat said that he loved cricket. (B) 'I have never seen snow,' she said. → She said that she had never seen snow. (C) 'We are leaving now,' they said. → They said that we are leaving now. (D) 'He will arrive at 5 PM,' she said. → She said that he would arrive at 5 PM. **Answer: (C)** — In (C), the tense was NOT backshifted: 'are leaving' should become 'were leaving', and 'we' should become 'they'. (C) violates the backshift rule. **Q29.** 'Don't be late for the meeting,' the principal said to the students. (A) The principal told the students not to be late for the meeting. (B) The principal told the students not to be late for the meeting. (C) The principal said to the students that they should not be late for the meeting. (D) The principal asked the students not to be late for the meeting. **Answer: (A)** — Imperative (command) 'Don't be late' converts using 'told + object + infinitive structure' ('not to be late'). Reporting verb must be 'told' or 'asked', not 'said to'. **Q30.** 'What a beautiful painting!' Sneha exclaimed. (A) Sneha said that what a beautiful painting. (B) Sneha exclaimed that it was a beautiful painting. (C) Sneha exclaimed that what a beautiful painting it is. (D) Sneha exclaimed that the painting is beautiful. **Answer: (B)** — Exclamatory sentence 'What a beautiful painting!' converts to: reporting verb 'exclaimed', statement form 'it was a beautiful painting' (not interrogative/exclamatory structure). Removes 'what' and restores normal syntax.

**Trap 1: Forgetting Adverbial Shifts Alongside Tense Backshift** Incorrect: 'I will come today,' she said. → She said that she would come today. Correct: She said that she would come that day. Learners often backshift tense correctly but overlook that 'today' (near speaker) becomes 'that day' (distant). Similarly, 'now' → 'then', 'here' → 'there', 'yesterday' → 'the day before'. Always scan for adverbials first. **Trap 2: Applying Backshift to Simple Past & Perfect Statements Incorrectly** Incorrect: 'I visited Paris last year,' he said. → He said that he had visited Paris last year. Partially Correct: He said that he had visited Paris the year before. This is a judgment call in CBSE Class 9. Strictly, simple past 'visited' → past perfect 'had visited', BUT many examiners accept simple past as-is if it refers to a completed, time-locked event. Check your textbook's preference; Kaveri typically prefers the backshift. Note: Adverbial 'last year' → 'the year before'. **Trap 3: Confusing Pronoun Shifts** Incorrect: 'You have done well,' the teacher said to her. → The teacher said that you have done well. Correct: The teacher said that she had done well. When a second person ('you') is addressed by the speaker in direct speech, it becomes third person in reported speech (matching the addressee's pronoun: 'her' → 'she'). Conversely, 'I' → 'he/she/they' depending on the subject of the main clause. **Trap 4: Mishandling Modals in Past Tense** Incorrect: 'He can do it,' she said. → She said that he could do it. (CORRECT) Incorrect: 'He could do it,' she said. → She said that he would do it. (FALSE TRAP) Correct: She said that he could do it. Modals like 'can' backshift to 'could', but 'could' does NOT backshift further to 'would'. Only 'would' → 'would' (or contextually 'might' in passive). Memorize: can→could, may→might, will→would, shall→should. Modals in simple past do not shift. **Trap 5: Assuming Question Form Remains in Reported Speech** Incorrect: 'Did you see the movie?' he asked. → He asked did you see the movie. Correct: He asked if/whether you had seen the movie. Many learners keep the inversion ('did you') in indirect form. Rules: (1) Remove question mark, (2) Use 'if/whether' for yes/no questions, (3) Restore subject-verb order, (4) Backshift tense. **Trap 6: Over-Correcting Imperatives** Incorrect: 'Close the door,' he said. → He said that he closes the door. Incorrect: He said to close the door. (sounds off) Correct: He told me to close the door. (requires object) Correct: He asked me to close the door. Imperatives require the 'told/asked + object + infinitive' structure. Beginners often omit the object pronoun, leading to ambiguity. **Trap 7: Changing Infinitive Form to Gerund** Incorrect: 'I will try to help you,' she said. → She said that she would try helping you. Correct: She said that she would try to help him. Infinitives ('to help') remain infinitives in reported speech, even after backshift. Only gerunds used in direct speech remain gerunds. Test: 'I enjoy singing' → 'She said that she enjoyed singing' (both gerunds). **Trap 8: Forgetting 'Said' → 'Told' Shift** Incorrect: 'You have passed,' the teacher said to him. → The teacher said him that he had passed. Correct: The teacher told him that he had passed. When a direct object follows 'said to', the reported form uses 'told' + object. 'Said' stands alone (no object); 'told' requires an object. **Trap 9: Incorrectly Handling Exclamations & Wishes** Incorrect: 'I wish I were a doctor!' he said. → He said that he wishes he were a doctor. Correct: He said that he wished he were a doctor. In 'wish' clauses, the subjunctive mood ('were') never changes, but the main verb 'wish' still backsshifts. Learners often overcorrect, changing 'were' to 'was'—resist this. **Trap 10: Neglecting That-Clause Insertion** Incorrect: 'I am ready,' she said → She said I am ready. Correct: She said that I am ready. (or: She said that she was ready.) The conjunction 'that' is optional in informal speech but mandatory in formal reported speech, especially in CBSE exams. Always insert 'that' after reporting verbs like 'said', 'told', 'remarked', etc.

**Pre-Exam Preparation (Week Before):** Divide the 30 MCQs into three daily slots: 10 Easy (Day 1), 10 Medium (Day 2), 10 Hard (Day 3). Set a timer: Easy = 15 minutes, Medium = 20 minutes, Hard = 25 minutes. This builds your pace. On Day 4–5, redo all 30 timed, aiming for 50 minutes total (average 100 seconds/MCQ). Record errors in a personal error log, marking whether you stumbled on: (a) tense backshift, (b) pronoun shift, (c) adverbial shift, (d) modal form, (e) question conversion, or (f) reporting verb choice. Tailor final revision to your weak areas. **Exam Strategy (80-Minute Term-End Exam):** Reported Speech MCQs typically comprise 5–8 questions out of 20 (25–40% of marks, ≈ 25–30 minutes for you). Allocate 2–3 minutes per MCQ to avoid rushing: 1. **Read the direct speech carefully (10 seconds).** Identify: (i) tense, (ii) pronoun, (iii) adverbial/time reference, (iv) reporting verb, (v) sentence type (statement, question, command, exclamation). 2. **Mentally convert to indirect (30 seconds).** Apply backshift rules in order: tense → pronoun → adverbial → modal → reporting verb. 3. **Scan all four options (20 seconds).** Eliminate obvious wrong answers (e.g., options with present tense after 'said'). Narrow to two choices. 4. **Compare the two remaining options (20 seconds).** Look for subtle differences: tense, pronoun, adverbial, or reporting verb. Refer to your mental checklist. 5. **Mark and move (10 seconds).** Avoid second-guessing unless you have strong doubt. **Triage System:** - **Green Flag Questions (Solve First):** Simple direct statements or basic yes/no questions. Examples: Q1, Q2, Q4, Q6. These are 'free marks'—solve within 90 seconds each. - **Yellow Flag Questions (Solve Second):** Complex sentences with multiple clauses, conditional statements, or exceptions. Examples: Q15, Q17, Q24. Allow 2.5–3 minutes; these are 'confidence builders'. - **Red Flag Questions (Solve Last if Time):** Assertion-Reason or heavily contextual imperatives/exclamations. Examples: Q21, Q26, Q29. Solve only if you have 5+ minutes remaining; guess educated if pressed for time. **Common Exam Panic & Recovery:** If you freeze on a question, use this escape hatch: (1) Identify the tense of the direct speech (present, past, future, perfect, continuous, modal). (2) Apply the MAIN backshift rule: any present-tense form → past tense (e.g., 'am' → 'was', 'do' → 'did', 'have' → 'had'). (3) Eliminate options that violate this. Nine times out of ten, you'll narrow to 2 choices. (4) If still stuck, choose the option with 'that' (formal reported speech) over one without. This basic heuristic has ≈70% accuracy in CBSE exams. **Post-Exam Reflection:** After the exam, if your teacher provides answer keys or solutions, revisit every question you guessed or got wrong. Ask yourself: 'Did I miss the tense? The pronoun? The adverbial?' Update your error log. Over two to three cycles of this (unit test → revision → term-end), your accuracy will jump from 60% to 85%+. The goal is not to memorize 30 answers but to internalize the three-step conversion process: (1) identify the backshift rule for that tense, (2) apply pronoun/adverbial shift, (3) verify reporting verb matches context.

**Print or memorize this checklist 10 minutes before your exam:** ✓ **Tense Backshift Chart:** - Present Simple (go) → Past Simple (went) - Present Continuous (is going) → Past Continuous (was going) - Present Perfect (has gone) → Past Perfect (had gone) - Present Perfect Continuous (has been going) → Past Perfect Continuous (had been going) - Simple Past (went) → Past Perfect (had gone) [OR remains simple past if time-locked] - Past Continuous (was going) → Past Perfect Continuous (had been going) - Simple Future (will go) → Conditional (would go) - Modal Present (can go, may go) → Modal Past (could go, might go) - Modal Past (could go) → Modal Past (could go) [NO FURTHER SHIFT] ✓ **Pronoun Shifts:** - First person (I, we) → Third person (he, she, they) [match subject] - Second person (you) → Third person matching the addressee or neutral plural - Third person (he, she, they) → No shift ✓ **Adverbial Shifts:** - Now → Then - Today → That day - Tomorrow → The next day - Yesterday → The day before - Here → There - This → That - These/Those → Those/These - Last week → The week before - Next month → The following month ✓ **Reporting Verb Rules:** - 'Said' (no object) vs. 'Told' (+ object) - 'Asked' (for questions/polite requests) - 'Exclaimed', 'cried', 'shouted' (for emphatic statements) - 'Remarked', 'mentioned', 'observed' (for neutral statements) ✓ **Question Conversion (Interrogative → Indirect):** - Yes/No question: 'Do you...?' → 'if/whether you...' - Wh-question: 'Where are you...?' → 'where you are...' - Remove inversion; restore subject-verb order - Backshift tense; change question mark to period ✓ **Command/Imperative Conversion:** - 'Close the door,' she said. → 'She told me to close the door.' - Requires 'told/asked + object + bare infinitive' - Negative: 'Don't go.' → 'not to go' ✓ **Exclamation Conversion:** - 'What a beautiful day!' → 'that it was a beautiful day' - Becomes normal statement; remove exclamatory words ✓ **Red-Flag Mistakes to Avoid:** - ✗ Forgetting adverbial shift - ✗ Over-backshifting simple past (check context) - ✗ Leaving question inverted in reported form - ✗ Using 'said' + object (should be 'told') - ✗ Changing subjunctive mood ('were') - ✗ Forgetting 'that' in formal contexts **Trust Your Preparation.** You've practiced 30 MCQs. The exam question is almost certainly a variation of one you've seen. Read slowly, identify the pattern, apply the checklist, and move. You've got this.