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: He said, "Gandhi ji faced many awkward situations when he was living in South Africa."

Introduction / Context:
This question examines reporting a factual historical statement about Mahatma Gandhi in Indirect speech. The Direct sentence is: He said, "Gandhi ji faced many awkward situations when he was living in South Africa." You must apply standard rules of tense backshift and clause structure without changing the basic historical meaning.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Reporting verb: said (past tense). - Reported clause: Gandhi ji faced many awkward situations when he was living in South Africa. - Tense in the reported clause: past simple "faced", past continuous "was living". - Gandhi ji is a historical figure; the events are clearly in the past.

Concept / Approach:
When the reporting verb is in the past, a past simple verb in the reported clause often changes to the past perfect, especially when we want to emphasise that the actions took place before the time of reporting. Therefore, "faced many awkward situations" becomes "had faced many awkward situations". The clause "when he was living in South Africa" already contains a past continuous form and can stay as it is, because it simply provides the time frame and does not create ambiguity. We introduce the reported clause with "that".

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Keep the reporting verb "said" because the speaker is simply stating a fact. Step 2: Introduce the clause with "that". Step 3: Change the past simple "faced" to the past perfect "had faced" to show that the events happened before the time of reporting. Step 4: Keep "when he was living in South Africa" unchanged, as this already describes the past background. Step 5: The final reported sentence is: He said that Gandhi ji had faced many awkward situations when he was living in South Africa.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, imagine converting the Indirect sentence back into Direct speech: He said that Gandhi ji had faced many awkward situations when he was living in South Africa. This would naturally become: He said, "Gandhi ji faced many awkward situations when he was living in South Africa." The sequence of events and their historical nature remain clear, so the transformation is valid.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B changes the reporting verb to "says" (present tense), which does not match the past form "said" in the original question. Option C uses "He told that", which is incorrect because "told" must have an object, such as "told me" or "told us". Option D uses "had been facing", which suggests a long continuous struggle without clear boundary; the original simple past "faced" is more appropriate for a general historical summary.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes overcomplicate tense changes in historical statements, using progressive or perfect progressive forms that sound unnatural in context. Others forget that "told" requires an object, unlike "said". It is also common to ignore whether a statement is a general fact or a narrative; in either case, a simple past form often suffices and is reported with a past perfect only if necessary for clarity. In examination questions, the safest choice is usually the one that preserves both grammar and natural usage.

Final Answer:
He said that Gandhi ji had faced many awkward situations when he was living in South Africa.