In this direct and indirect speech question, you are given the indirect sentence "He asks which chair he is to sit on" and must choose the direct speech form that would correctly change into this sentence when reported.

Introduction / Context:
This question reverses the usual direction of reported speech problems. Instead of converting direct to indirect speech, you are given the indirect sentence "He asks which chair he is to sit on" and must identify the direct sentence that would produce this form. Careful attention to the tense of the reporting verb and the subject pronouns is required.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Indirect sentence: He asks which chair he is to sit on.
• Reporting verb: asks, present tense.
• Reported clause: which chair he is to sit on.
• The original direct form must contain a first person subject and present tense structure equivalent to "am I to sit".

Concept / Approach:
When converting from direct to indirect speech with a present tense reporting verb ("asks"), we normally keep the tense of the reported clause unchanged, because the situation is still current. The clause "he is to sit on" in indirect speech corresponds to "am I to sit on" in direct speech. In addition, the present tense "asks" suggests that the direct form should keep a present frame like "asks he" rather than a past tense reporting verb such as "said". Therefore, we look for an option where the question is directly quoted and the reporting verb indicates present time.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Note that the indirect clause "he is to sit on" must come from "am I to sit on" in the direct quote.Recognise that the wh word "which" will stay the same in both direct and indirect forms.Observe that the reporting verb in the indirect sentence is present ("asks"), so the direct form should also use a present time reporting structure.Among the options, the only one using a present type reporting verb is the pattern "\"Which chair am I to sit on?\" asks he."Confirm that converting this direct sentence to indirect speech yields "He asks which chair he is to sit on."

Verification / Alternative check:
If we start from option C, "\"Which chair am I to sit on?\" asks he.", and apply the standard rules, we move the wh question into a subordinate clause: "He asks which chair he is to sit on." The present tense "asks" remains the same, and "am I" becomes "he is". This exactly matches the given indirect sentence, so this option is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A uses the past reporting verb "said", which would normally produce "He asked which chair he was to sit on" rather than "is to sit on". Option B has faulty punctuation and word order inside the direct quote and does not follow standard direct speech conventions. Option D uses "should I sit on", which would change to "should sit on" or "should he sit on" in indirect speech, not "is to sit on", so it does not match the given sentence.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes ignore the tense of the reporting verb in the indirect sentence and choose an option with a past reporting verb simply because it looks familiar. Another pitfall is to focus on the content words "which chair" and ignore the subtle difference between "is to" and "should", which express different shades of obligation and appropriateness in English.

Final Answer:
The direct sentence that corresponds to the given indirect form is "Which chair am I to sit on?" asks he.