In the following question, a sentence is given in Indirect speech. Choose the option that best expresses the same idea in Direct speech. The teacher said that the burglar had broken into the office.

Introduction / Context:
This question deals with converting a reported statement in Indirect speech back into its original Direct form. The sentence describes a completed action in the past where a burglar forced entry into an office. Learners must correctly choose the Direct speech sentence that matches the tense and meaning of the reported statement, which is a common skill tested in English sections of competitive exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Indirect speech: The teacher said that the burglar had broken into the office.
• The reporting verb "said" is in simple past.
• The reported clause "the burglar had broken into the office" is in the past perfect tense.
• There is no change of person or time expression that needs special attention.
• We assume that the teacher is narrating a past event that happened before some other past reference point.

Concept / Approach:
When converting from Indirect to Direct speech, we often remove "that" and restore the original tense before backshift. However, if the meaningful and natural Direct speech already uses the same tense that appears in the reported clause, we may keep it. In this case, a speaker can naturally say, "The burglar had broken into the office." in Direct speech, especially if the teacher is describing an event that occurred earlier than another past event. Since there are no pronoun changes or time adverbials, it is enough to place the clause within quotation marks after the reporting verb.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
The final Direct speech sentence reads naturally and grammatically. The past perfect "had broken" correctly indicates that the breaking in happened before some other understood past moment. There are no incorrect auxiliary verbs or missing parts. Because there is no interrogative or imperative structure, the simple pattern "said, "sentence"" is fully acceptable.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B uses "break" instead of "broke" or "had broken", which is grammatically incorrect in this context. Option C uses "broken" without a helping verb, which is also incorrect because "broken" is a past participle that requires an auxiliary. Option D uses "was broken in the office", which changes the meaning to suggest that the burglar himself was broken in the office rather than breaking into it. Only option A preserves both correct tense and correct meaning.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes assume that every reported past perfect must be changed back to simple past in Direct speech. In reality, context decides, and many speakers use past perfect in Direct speech to emphasise order of events. Another common mistake is confusing "break into" (phrasal verb meaning to enter illegally) with "break" used alone, which gives an incomplete idea. Understanding phrasal verbs is important for accuracy in such questions.

Final Answer:
The correct Direct speech sentence is The teacher said, "The burglar had broken into the office."