In the following question on Direct and Indirect speech, the sentence is given in Direct speech. Choose the option that best expresses the same idea in Indirect speech: I said to my friends, "let us go to a picnic for a change".

Introduction / Context:
This question examines the ability to convert a sentence from Direct speech to Indirect speech while preserving the original meaning and tone. The Direct sentence is spoken by a first person speaker to friends and expresses a suggestion about going to a picnic. In Indirect speech, we must preserve the idea of a collective proposal rather than a simple question, command or permission.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct sentence: I said to my friends, "let us go to a picnic for a change".
• The reporting verb is said and the listeners are my friends.
• The phrase let us go suggests a proposal or suggestion offered by the speaker including the group.
• The tense is simple present inside the quotation, but Indirect speech often uses a structure with should for such suggestions.

Concept / Approach:
In English grammar, when let us is used to make a suggestion to a group that includes the speaker, we usually report it in Indirect speech with a verb like suggested, proposed or urged and a clause that begins with that we should. The pronoun we reflects the group including the speaker, and the modal should neatly expresses the idea of suggestion rather than command. Expressions such as asked, ordered or permitted do not capture the cooperative, inclusive tone of the original sentence and can change the meaning significantly.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the function of the quoted sentence: it is a suggestion that the group, including the speaker, should go for a picnic.
Step 2: Choose an appropriate reporting verb that conveys suggestion, such as suggested.
Step 3: Convert let us go into a clause beginning with that we should go.
Step 4: Preserve the rest of the information for a change and to a picnic in the Indirect form.
Step 5: Combine all elements to get: I suggested to my friends that we should go to a picnic for a change.

Verification / Alternative check:
Reading the final Indirect sentence, I suggested to my friends that we should go to a picnic for a change, we can see that the sense of a friendly proposal remains. The pronoun we matches the original let us, which included the speaker and friends together. The phrase for a change is also preserved, keeping the idea of doing something different from routine. No unnecessary change in tense or person has been introduced. This confirms that the transformation is accurate and faithful to the original message.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, I asked my friends if they would go to a picnic for a change, turns the suggestion into a yes or no question and excludes the speaker by using they. Option B, I asked my friends to go to a picnic for a change, sounds more like a request directed at others rather than a shared plan. Option C, I permitted my friends to go to a picnic for a change, completely changes the relationship and implies authority. Option E, I ordered my friends to go to a picnic for a change, expresses a command, which is inconsistent with the gentle tone of let us go. None of these reflect the cooperative suggestion of the original sentence.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often treat let us as if it simply expresses willingness and choose asked or told instead of suggested. Another common error is to replace let us go with they would go, which changes both the subject and the mood. A useful rule is that let us in Direct speech usually becomes suggested that we should in Indirect speech when the speaker is part of the group. Keeping this pattern in mind makes similar exam questions much easier to answer correctly.

Final Answer:
The correct Indirect speech form is I suggested to my friends that we should go to a picnic for a change.