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 sister said to my mother, "When can I have dinner? I hardly have had anything to eat since noon today."

Introduction / Context:
This sentence combines a question in direct speech with a follow up statement about recent eating habits. The learner must convert the question into an indirect question using "asked" and also report the statement correctly. The example tests understanding of reported questions, tense backshifting for present perfect, and time expression changes such as "today".

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Reporting clause: "My sister said to my mother" which becomes "asked my mother" for the question part.
• Direct question: "When can I have dinner?"
• Follow up statement: "I hardly have had anything to eat since noon today."
• Pronoun "I" refers to "she" in the reported version.
• Time expression: "since noon today" should become "since noon that day" in indirect speech.

Concept / Approach:
For reported questions, "said to" usually changes to "asked". The question word "when" is kept, but the word order changes from question form to normal statement form. The modal "can" changes to "could" after a past reporting verb. Present perfect "have had" backshifts to past perfect "had had". The adverb "today" becomes "that day". The reporting of two linked sentences is usually joined by "and said that" in indirect speech, keeping the logical connection.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Change "said to my mother" to "asked my mother" because the first part is a question. Step 2: Begin the indirect question with "when", followed by subject and modal in statement order: "when she could have her dinner". "Can" becomes "could" and "I" becomes "she". Step 3: Introduce the second clause with "and said that" to link the reported statement to the question. Step 4: Change "I hardly have had anything to eat since noon today" to "she hardly had had anything to eat since noon that day". "Have had" becomes "had had", "I" becomes "she", and "today" becomes "that day". Step 5: Combine the parts into "My sister asked my mother when she could have her dinner and said that she hardly had had anything to eat since noon that day."

Verification / Alternative check:
The indirect question no longer uses question order or a question mark, but it still clearly asks about the time of dinner. The second clause accurately describes a lack of food from noon until the time of speaking. Backshifted tenses and changed time expression show that this is now a report of what was said earlier. The overall meaning remains the same as the original direct speech.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A keeps "has had", which is present perfect and does not match the past reporting verb. Option B uses "can" instead of "could" in the indirect question, which is not correct after a past reporting verb. Option C repeats both errors, keeping "can" and "has had". Only option D correctly uses "could" and "had had" and also changes "today" to "that day".

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners forget to change the word order of the question when reporting it and leave a question mark, which is not correct in indirect questions. Another pitfall is handling the double perfect "had had", which looks unusual but is correct and common in reported speech with present perfect. Students also often overlook small time words like "today", but exam writers use them deliberately to test attention to detail. Careful stepwise conversion avoids these issues.

Final Answer:
The correct reported sentence is My sister asked my mother when she could have her dinner and said that she hardly had had anything to eat since noon that day.