In the following question, a sentence is given in Direct speech. Out of the four alternatives, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Indirect speech: The teacher said to the student, "Have you brought your lunch?"

Introduction / Context:
This reported speech question checks your understanding of how to change a yes or no type question from Direct to Indirect speech. The sentence involves a teacher asking a student whether he has brought his lunch. The key points are the change in pronouns, the reporting verb, the verb tense, and the transformation of the question format into a statement format in Indirect speech.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct speech: The teacher said to the student, "Have you brought your lunch?"
• Reporting verb: said to, which should change to asked in Indirect speech because it is a question.
• Question type: yes or no question starting with Have.
• The speaker is the teacher and the listener is the student.

Concept / Approach:
When changing a yes or no question from Direct to Indirect speech, we usually introduce the reported clause with if or whether. The helping verb moves after the subject so that the structure becomes that of a statement, not a direct question. Since the reporting verb is in the past tense (said), we normally backshift the tense in the reported clause: present perfect becomes past perfect. Pronouns are changed according to who is speaking to whom, so you becomes he in reference to the student.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Change “said to” into an appropriate reporting verb for a question: “asked”.Introduce the reported clause with “if”: “asked the student if…”Change the pronoun “you” into “he”, because the teacher is speaking to the student.Backshift the tense: “have brought” (present perfect) becomes “had brought” (past perfect) after a past reporting verb.Maintain the object “your lunch” as “his lunch” referring to the student.The complete Indirect sentence becomes: “The teacher asked the student if he had brought his lunch.”

Verification / Alternative check:
Check whether the meaning is unchanged: in the original, the teacher is asking at that moment if the student has his lunch with him. In the reported version, we simply state that the teacher asked this question earlier. The change from have brought to had brought is a standard backshift and does not alter the essential message.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is vague and ungrammatical because “about bringing his lunch” does not clearly preserve the question form and shifts the meaning. Option B uses would be bringing, which describes a future or planned action instead of a completed one, changing the meaning. Option D, “if he has brought his lunch,” fails to backshift the tense after a past reporting verb and is therefore incorrect in standard reported speech usage in exams. Only option C correctly applies all the rules.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates often forget to backshift the tense or to use if or whether for yes or no questions. Others retain the question order (“had he brought”) inside the reported clause, which is wrong because, in Indirect speech, the reported part should follow normal statement order (“he had brought”). Being careful with these transformations will help you solve many reported speech items accurately.

Final Answer:
The correct Indirect speech form is The teacher asked the student if he had brought his lunch.