In the following question, a sentence is given in Direct speech. Choose the option that best expresses the same idea in Indirect or reported speech. "Good-bye, dear friend," said the patriot, "we will meet again."

Introduction / Context:
This question deals with reporting a farewell and a hopeful future meeting expressed in Direct speech. The patriot is addressing his dear friend while parting and expressing confidence that they will meet again. When changed into Indirect speech, the sentence must preserve both the farewell and the promise of a future meeting, while following the rules of tense backshift from "will" to "would".

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct speech: "Good-bye, dear friend," said the patriot, "we will meet again."
• The speaker is the patriot, and he is addressing a dear friend.
• He says good-bye and expresses a future event: "we will meet again".
• The reporting is in past time, so future forms usually shift to "would".
• The farewell can be represented by a phrase like "bidding his dear friend good-bye".

Concept / Approach:
Indirect speech often uses participial phrases to combine actions that happen close together. Here, "Bidding his dear friend good-bye" is a concise way to report the initial farewell. The statement "we will meet again" becomes "they would meet again" when viewed from a later point in time, with "we" changing to "they". The verb "said" can be retained as the main reporting verb introducing the clause about meeting again.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
The resulting sentence maintains the emotional tone and content of the original. It clearly indicates that the patriot said farewell and also expressed the view that they would meet in the future. The participial phrase efficiently combines the greeting and places emphasis on the reported content. The tense and pronoun changes follow standard rules for Indirect speech.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A uses "will meet" instead of "would meet", breaking the standard backshift rule for future tense in reported speech. Option B says "they must meet again", which changes a hopeful expectation into a kind of obligation and changes the meaning. Option D says "they are sure to meet again", which again changes the form of the future expression and uses present tense in the reported clause. Only option C accurately preserves meaning and applies correct tense changes.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners overlook the need to backshift "will" to "would" in reported clauses and keep the original future tense, which is generally penalised in exam marking. Others change the meaning by using modal verbs like "must" or expressions like "are sure to", which bring in additional shades of compulsion or certainty. It is safer in such questions to preserve the original force of the statement as closely as possible while following grammatical rules.

Final Answer:
The correct Indirect speech sentence is Bidding his dear friend good-bye, the patriot said that they would meet again.