In the following question, a sentence is given in direct speech: Rohan said, "Where shall I be this time next month?" Out of the four alternatives, select the option that best expresses this sentence in indirect speech.

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your understanding of how to change a sentence from direct speech to indirect or reported speech, especially when the original sentence is a WH question about the future. The direct sentence contains a first person subject, a modal verb, and a time expression, all of which must be handled correctly when we report the sentence in indirect speech.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct speech: Rohan said, "Where shall I be this time next month?"
• There is no object after said, so a neutral reporting verb such as wondered or asked is appropriate.
• The question is an information seeking WH question, not a yes or no question.
• The reporting verb is in the past tense, so back shifting of tense and change of time expressions is generally required.

Concept / Approach:
When we report a WH question in indirect speech, we remove the question mark and the auxiliary subject inversion and turn the clause into a normal statement word order after the WH word. The pattern is reporting verb plus WH word plus subject plus verb. Because said is in the past, shall in the direct speech usually changes to would in reported speech to indicate a future viewed from the past. In addition, this time next month changes to that time the following month to reflect the shift in point of reference from the time of speaking to the time of reporting.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the reporting verb and the quoted question. The reporting verb is said and the quoted words form a WH question starting with where. Step 2: Select a suitable reporting verb for an indirect WH question. Since there is no object, verbs such as wondered or asked are natural. Wondered is especially common for questions that someone asks themselves. Step 3: Remove the question order shall I be and convert it to normal statement order subject plus modal plus verb, that is he would be. The pronoun I becomes he because Rohan is male and we report from an outside point of view. Step 4: Apply back shifting: shall normally becomes would after a past reporting verb, so we use would be rather than shall be or should be. Step 5: Change the time expression this time next month to that time the following month so that it is correctly referenced from the reporting moment. Step 6: Combine all parts to obtain the final sentence: Rohan wondered where he would be that time the following month.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify the structure by comparing with the standard rule: subject plus reporting verb plus WH word plus subject plus modal plus base verb plus shifted time expression. The final sentence, Rohan wondered where he would be that time the following month, follows this pattern exactly. It has no question mark because indirect speech embeds the question inside a statement. The meaning matches the original: Rohan was thinking about his location at a particular time in the future relative to his moment of speaking.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A uses contemplated which is acceptable, but then wrongly keeps the question order shall he be instead of he would be, so the clause remains ungrammatical as reported speech. Option B has the awkward structure asked that where should be that time next month and even omits the subject he, so it is grammatically incorrect. Option C uses wondered but keeps should be, which suggests obligation or duty rather than a simple future position in time, so the meaning is slightly changed and the tense shift is not handled correctly.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often forget to change pronouns and modals when converting to indirect speech, or they mistakenly keep the original question order after the WH word. Another common error is to ignore time expression changes, leaving phrases like this time next month unchanged in reported speech. To avoid these mistakes, always check pronouns, modals, word order, and time markers one by one whenever you transform direct speech into indirect speech.

Final Answer:
The correct indirect speech form is Rohan wondered where he would be that time the following month.