Change the following direct question into indirect speech: Gokul said to Sumit, "Why did you not attend the meeting yesterday?"

Introduction / Context:
This question tests knowledge of reported speech, specifically how to convert a direct question into indirect or reported form. The original sentence shows Gokul asking Sumit why he failed to attend a meeting the previous day. To create the correct indirect speech, we must adjust pronouns, verb tense, and time expressions while preserving the original meaning.

Given Data / Assumptions:

- Direct speech: Gokul said to Sumit, "Why did you not attend the meeting yesterday?" - Reporting verb: said to, which becomes asked in indirect speech because it introduces a question. - The verb inside the quoted question: did attend (in the form did you not attend, simple past). - Time expression inside the quote: yesterday, which must be adjusted in reported speech.

Concept / Approach:
When converting a direct question introduced by a past tense reporting verb into indirect speech, several changes usually occur. First, said to becomes asked. Second, the auxiliary did in a question changes to past perfect had attended. Third, the second person pronoun you changes to he, because it now refers to Sumit from the point of view of the reporter. Finally, the time expression yesterday changes to the day before or the previous day in indirect speech, to keep the time reference relative rather than direct.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Change said to into asked, because a question is being reported: Gokul asked Sumit. Step 2: Remove the question mark and use the conjunction why to introduce the reported clause: why he. Step 3: Change you to he, since the question is about Sumit and he is the third person in the reported sentence. Step 4: Backshift the verb from simple past did not attend to past perfect had not attended, matching the pattern used after a past tense reporting verb. Step 5: Replace yesterday with the day before or the previous day. Here, the option uses the day before, which is correct. Step 6: Combine the pieces: Gokul asked Sumit why he had not attended the meeting the day before.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check the final reported sentence against the original meaning. It still indicates that Gokul wanted to know the reason for Sumit's absence from a meeting held one day prior to the act of speaking. The change in tense from did not attend to had not attended simply shows that the meeting happened before the time of the question. The time expression the day before ensures that the timing is clear even when the sentence is reported later.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A keeps the verb in simple past (did not attend) and changes yesterday to the day before, which makes the tense less accurate in reported speech. Option B incorrectly keeps yesterday and adds that, which leads to a mixture of direct and indirect styles and uses that meeting unnecessarily. Option D keeps both did not attend and yesterday, which is closer to direct speech and does not reflect the expected tense and time shifts. Only option C correctly adjusts the pronoun, tense, and time reference.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often forget to change time adverbials like yesterday, tomorrow, and last week when converting to reported speech. Another frequent mistake is to keep the auxiliary did in the reported clause, which is not needed outside of direct questions. A systematic method is to first remove the question structure, then adjust pronouns, move the tense one step back, and finally rewrite time expressions to relative forms like the day before or the following day.

Final Answer:
Gokul asked Sumit why he had not attended the meeting the day before. is the correct indirect speech version of the given sentence.