In the following question, a sentence is given in direct speech. Select the option that best expresses the same sentence in indirect (reported) speech. My mother said, "We went to a market that is five kilometers from here."

Introduction / Context:
This question tests the rules of changing a statement from direct speech to indirect or reported speech. The focus is on how tense, pronouns, and words that show place such as "here" and "there" change when we report what someone said in the past. Many competitive exams include similar items to check whether the learner can preserve meaning while applying the correct grammar rules of reported speech.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The reporting verb is "said" which is in the simple past tense.
• The original direct sentence is: My mother said, "We went to a market that is five kilometers from here."
• The speakers in the reported part are represented by the pronoun "we".
• The word "here" shows place relative to the original speaker.
• There is no object after "said", so the conjunction "that" will be used in reported speech.

Concept / Approach:
When the reporting verb is in the past tense, the tense inside the quoted speech usually moves one step back in time. Simple past often changes to past perfect. Present forms of the verb "to be" such as "is" usually change to past forms like "was". Pronouns change according to the new point of view. Place and time words like "here", "there", "today", and "tomorrow" must be adjusted to show that the original words are now being reported later and possibly from a different location. The conjunction "that" is normally inserted between the reporting verb and the reported clause in formal indirect speech.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Keep the reporting clause "My mother said" as it is, because "said" is already in the simple past tense and is correct. Step 2: Introduce the reported clause with the conjunction "that", giving the start "My mother said that". Step 3: Change the pronoun "we" to "they" because the person reporting is not including themself with the group mentioned by the mother. Step 4: Backshift the verb "went" (simple past) to "had gone" (past perfect) because the reporting verb "said" is in the past. Step 5: Change "is" to "was" in the relative clause "that is five kilometers from here" to match backshifting rules. Step 6: Change the place word "here" to "there" because the location is being referred to from the reporter perspective, not from the original speaker position. Step 7: Combine all parts to form the final sentence: "My mother said that they had gone to a market that was five kilometers from there."

Verification / Alternative check:
We can confirm the correctness by checking meaning and grammar. The sequence of tenses is correct: past reporting verb with past perfect in the reported clause. The relative clause "that was five kilometers from there" still shows the same distance and location as the original. The pronoun "they" correctly refers to the group that included the mother. All quotation marks and the comma after "said" are removed in indirect speech, which matches the standard rules taught in English grammar. The meaning stays exactly the same as the direct sentence, only the form changes to reported speech.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is wrong because it keeps "here" instead of changing it to "there", which does not reflect the shift in viewpoint in reported speech. Option B is wrong because it uses "have gone", a present perfect form, which does not match the past reporting verb "said". Option D is incorrect for two reasons: it uses present perfect "have gone" and also keeps "here", so both tense and place word are inappropriate in formal indirect speech in this context.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often forget to change place and time words like "here", "now", "today", and "tomorrow" when reporting past speech. Another frequent mistake is to keep the verb in simple past instead of moving it to past perfect after a past reporting verb. Students also sometimes fail to adjust pronouns, which can create confusion about who is being referred to. Careful step-by-step checking of tense, pronoun, and deictic words avoids these errors.

Final Answer:
The correct reported sentence is My mother said that they had gone to a market that was five kilometers from there.