In the following question, a sentence is given in Direct speech. Out of the four alternatives, select the option that best expresses the same sentence in Indirect (reported) speech: She said to me, "What can I do for you, dear?"

Introduction / Context:
This question examines how to convert an interrogative sentence from Direct speech to Indirect speech. The original sentence is: She said to me, "What can I do for you, dear?" You must understand how to handle question word "what", auxiliary verb "can", the change of tense, and the affectionate tone expressed in the sentence.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Reporting clause: She said to me. - Reported question: "What can I do for you, dear?" - Interrogative word: what. - Modal verb: can, in the present tense. - The tone is affectionate, shown by the word "dear".

Concept / Approach:
When a Direct question begins with a question word such as "what", "why", "when", or "how", the same word is used to introduce the reported clause. Therefore, we keep the word "what" and do not introduce "if" or "whether". Because the reporting verb "said" is in the past tense, the auxiliary "can" usually changes to "could". The word order must become that of a statement: subject followed by verb, not verb followed by subject. We also preserve the sense of affection with an adverb such as "affectionately".

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Change "said to me" to the reporting verb for a question: "asked me". Step 2: Retain the question word "what" to introduce the reported clause. Step 3: Change the first person pronoun "I" (referring to "she") into "she" in Indirect speech. Step 4: Change the modal "can" to "could" because the reporting verb is in the past tense. Step 5: Use statement word order: subject "she" before modal "could". Step 6: Add the phrase "for me" at the end and keep the adverb "affectionately" to show tone.

Verification / Alternative check:
The resulting sentence is: She asked me affectionately what she could do for me. If we change this back to Direct speech, we arrive at a natural form such as: She said to me, "What can I do for you, dear?" The structure, meaning, and politeness remain intact. The shift in modal verb from "can" to "could" is expected due to backshifting when the reporting verb is in the past tense.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A uses the incorrect word order "what could she do for me", which still sounds like a question rather than reported speech; however, the main problem is that in reported clauses, the subject normally precedes the auxiliary without inversion. Option C keeps "can" instead of changing it to "could", ignoring the required backshift of tense. Option D changes the structure to "if she could do anything for me", which does not directly match the "what" question structure of the original sentence.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often forget that question word clauses in reported speech follow the order of a normal statement, not the inversion used in direct questions. Another frequent mistake is failing to backshift modal verbs like "can" to "could" when the reporting verb is in the past. Additionally, learners sometimes omit important discourse markers such as "affectionately", which carry tonal information useful in competitive exam questions focused on accurate reporting of speech.

Final Answer:
She asked me affectionately what she could do for me.