In the following question, a sentence is given in direct speech. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the option which best expresses the same sentence in indirect speech.\n\nShe asked Ravi, "What is worrying you?"

Introduction / Context:
This question checks your understanding of changing a sentence from direct speech to indirect (reported) speech. In direct speech, the speaker's exact words are quoted inside quotation marks. In indirect speech, we report the meaning of what was said without quoting the exact words. The sentence given is “She asked Ravi, ‘What is worrying you?’” and you must choose the correct reported version that follows standard rules of tense, pronoun, and word order changes.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Reporting verb: asked (simple past tense).
• Reported words: What is worrying you?
• Speaker: she.
• Listener: Ravi.
• Question type: wh-question starting with “what.”

Concept / Approach:
When changing a wh-question from direct to indirect speech, we keep the wh-word (here, “what”), change the sentence to a statement word order, and generally backshift the tense if the reporting verb is in the past. Pronouns are changed according to the speaker and listener. With “asked” as the reporting verb, the auxiliary “is” normally changes to “was,” and “you” changes to “him,” referring to Ravi in the third person.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Remove the quotation marks and the comma after “Ravi.”Step 2: Retain the wh-word “what” at the beginning of the reported clause.Step 3: Change the verb “is worrying” (present continuous) to “was worrying” (past continuous) because the reporting verb “asked” is in the simple past.Step 4: Change the pronoun “you” to “him” to refer to Ravi correctly in the third person.Step 5: Use statement word order (subject before verb): what was worrying him.Step 6: Combine everything: She asked Ravi what was worrying him.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can mentally reverse the process. Take “She asked Ravi what was worrying him” and convert it back into direct speech. You get something like: She asked Ravi, “What is worrying you?” This matches the original question in sense and time relationship, which confirms the correctness of the option.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A: “what is worrying him” does not backshift the tense from present to past, which is expected after a past reporting verb.

Option B: Uses “asks” (present) with “was worrying,” mixing present reporting with past reported clause, which is inconsistent.

Option C: Uses present reporting verb “asks” and present continuous “is worrying,” which does not match the original past context of “asked.”

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often forget to backshift tenses, keep question word order instead of statement order, or do not adjust the pronouns correctly. Another mistake is mixing present and past forms of the reporting verb and reported clause in one sentence, which makes the sentence grammatically inconsistent. Paying attention to the tense of the reporting verb is a key step.

Final Answer:
She asked Ravi what was worrying him.