In this question on reported speech, convert the statement "The constable said, 'I saw a bullet mark here.'" into the correct Indirect Speech form.

Introduction / Context:
This multiple choice question checks your understanding of changing a simple past statement with a place word here into Indirect Speech. The direct sentence is: The constable said, "I saw a bullet mark here." You need to backshift the tense where appropriate and adjust the place adverb here when you report the statement later.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Speaker: the constable. - Direct speech: I saw a bullet mark here. - Reporting verb: said, which is in the past tense. - Place adverb: here, indicating the location close to the speaker at the time.

Concept / Approach:
With a past reporting verb, simple past can often change to past perfect in reported speech when it is important to mark that the action happened before the reporting moment. So saw becomes had seen. The pronoun I refers to the constable and must change to he. The place adverb here, which indicates the original location, normally becomes there in indirect speech. The conjunction that is used to connect the reporting clause and the reported clause in formal writing and exam answers.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, reconstruct the original direct speech. From The constable said that he had seen a bullet mark there, change he had seen back to I saw and there back to here. Reintroduce quotation marks to get: The constable said, "I saw a bullet mark here." This matches the original sentence, showing that the indirect speech version is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A uses sees instead of the expected past perfect or at least simple past, and it also uses there, mixing present and past ideas. Option C uses says and here, not matching the original which clearly uses said and is intended as a past report. Option D also keeps sees and here, failing to change either tense or place adverb. Option E uses saw, which is closer but still keeps the simple past where past perfect is preferred in formal reporting. Option B fully follows the tense backshift and place word change, making it the best choice.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent error is leaving here unchanged in reported speech, which can confuse the reader about whether the speaker is still at the same place. Another issue is failing to apply past perfect where exam standards expect it, especially after a past reporting verb. Additionally, students sometimes forget to change I to he or she and omit the conjunction that. Systematically check pronouns, tense and deictic words such as here and there to avoid these typical mistakes.

Final Answer:
The correct reported speech sentence is The constable said that he had seen a bullet mark there.