English question from Panchayat Secretary (VLW) exam, 2025 by JKSSB
Select the correct narration for the sentence
He said, "Will you listen to such a man?"
Last updated May 30, 2026
Correct Answer:
Option D —
He asked them whether they would listen to such a man.
Why this is correct:
Reporting Verb: Since the direct speech is a question, the reporting verb "said" correctly changes to "asked".
Adding an Object: In cases where a speaker asks a general question using "you," it is grammatically standard to imply a plural audience like "them" in the indirect speech.
Conjunction: For "yes/no" questions (questions that don't start with a wh- word), we use "whether" or "if" to introduce the reported clause.
Tense Change: Because the reporting verb is in the past tense ("said"), the future tense "will" must be changed to its past equivalent, "would".
Word Order: The question format (Will you listen...) changes into a standard statement format (they would listen...).
Why the other options are incorrect:
(A) Incorrect because it keeps the present/future tense "will" instead of changing it to "would."
(B) Incorrect because it changes the modal verb to "could," which alters the original meaning from intention (will) to ability (could).
(C) Incorrect because, like option A, it fails to change "will" to "would."
Answer verified by Quintessence Classes faculty — Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
