In this English grammar question on Direct and Indirect Speech, choose the option that best converts the direct sentence "Ram said, \"I have cleared the clutter.\" " into Indirect Speech.

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your understanding of how to change a sentence from Direct Speech to Indirect Speech when the reporting verb is in the past tense and the reported clause is in present perfect tense. The original sentence is "Ram said, \"I have cleared the clutter.\" " You must decide which option correctly shows the tense change, pronoun change, and overall structure of reported speech.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Direct sentence: Ram said, "I have cleared the clutter." - Reporting verb: said, which is in the simple past. - Reported clause: "I have cleared the clutter." - Subject in the reported clause: "I", referring to Ram.

Concept / Approach:
When changing from direct to indirect speech, the tense of the reported clause usually shifts back one step if the reporting verb is in the past. Present perfect tense "have cleared" normally changes to past perfect "had cleared". The first person pronoun "I" in the report refers to Ram, so in indirect speech it changes to "he". The overall structure is "Ram said that he had cleared the clutter." The conjunction "that" is often used to introduce the reported clause, especially in formal exam style sentences.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, convert the indirect sentence back into direct speech. From "Ram said that he had cleared the clutter", change "he had cleared" back to "I have cleared" and remove "that". The result is "Ram said, \"I have cleared the clutter.\" " which matches the original direct sentence. This confirms that the option with "had cleared" and the correct pronoun is accurate.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, "Ram told that he cleared the clutter.", is wrong because "told" needs an object such as "told me" and also keeps the verb "cleared" in simple past instead of past perfect. Option B, "Ram says that he cleared the clutter.", changes the reporting verb to present tense "says", which does not match the original sentence. Option D, "The clutter was cleared by Ram", changes the sentence to passive voice and completely drops the reporting verb structure, so it is not an indirect speech version of the given direct quote. Option E, "Ram said that he has cleared the clutter.", keeps the present perfect "has cleared" even though the reporting verb is in the past, which is against the usual tense backshift rule used in exam grammar. Only option C correctly uses "had cleared" and the right pronoun.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often forget to adjust the tense of the reported clause when the reporting verb is in the past. Another common mistake is to ignore pronoun changes and keep "I" instead of switching to "he" or "she". Some students also confuse the use of "said" and "told"; remember that "told" generally needs an object like "told me" or "told us". In exam settings, follow the standard rule: past reporting verb plus present perfect in the quote generally becomes past perfect in reported speech.

Final Answer:
The correct Indirect Speech form is "Ram said that he had cleared the clutter.", so the correct answer is "Ram said that he had cleared the clutter."