In this reported speech question, the given indirect sentence is The boss said to him, "Please tell me what the old man said today", and you must choose the indirect form that correctly reports this polite request, with the proper change of time expression and tense. Select the option that best reflects the meaning, form, and time shift rules of reported speech.

Introduction / Context:
This question examines the correct conversion of a polite request in direct speech into indirect speech, with special attention to changing the time word today and adjusting verb tenses. The original direct sentence has a reporting verb said combined with the polite word please and a request in the imperative form. In reported speech, please normally becomes a reporting verb like requested, and today usually changes to that day when the reporting verb is in the past. You need to select the option that applies these rules correctly.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Direct speech: The boss said to him, "Please tell me what the old man said today".
• The boss is addressing him politely and asking for information.
• The reporting verb said to him will become requested him in indirect speech.
• The inner clause uses said today, which is a completed past action relative to the time of speaking.

Concept / Approach:
In reported speech, polite imperatives introduced by please are often reported with verbs like requested or asked, and the bare infinitive tell becomes to tell. Time expressions usually shift when the reporting verb is in the past: today becomes that day, yesterday becomes the previous day, and so on. The tense in the embedded clause said also normally moves one step back, so simple past said may become past perfect had said when the reporting verb is in the past and we are referring to an earlier action. The correct indirect sentence therefore needs requested, to tell, the time expression that day, and past perfect had said to show that the old man spoke before the boss made the request.

Step-by-Step Solution:
First, identify the reporting clause The boss said to him and the direct quoted request Please tell me what the old man said today. Second, change said to him plus please into requested him, which is the standard reporting structure for a polite request. Third, convert the imperative tell me into the infinitive to tell him, because the boss is now referred to in the third person. Fourth, adjust the tense of said in the embedded clause to had said because the old man spoke before the boss reported this in the past. Fifth, change today to that day to reflect the normal shift of time expression in reported speech.

Verification / Alternative check:
If we reconstruct the process in reverse, we can start from the chosen indirect sentence The boss requested him to tell him what the old man had said that day and convert it back to direct speech. We would write The boss said to him, "Please tell me what the old man said today". The reporting verb requested becomes said, to tell him becomes tell me, had said returns to said, and that day back to today. The result matches the original direct sentence, showing that we have chosen the correct indirect form.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B keeps the time word today, which is normally changed to that day when the reporting verb is in the past and the sentence is no longer spoken on the same day.

Option C does not shift the tense of said to had said, so it fails to show clearly that the old man spoke before the boss made the request, even though this backshift is standard in such constructions.

Option D neither changes the tense nor the time expression, so it is the least accurate in applying the rules of reported speech.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often forget to shift time expressions such as today, yesterday, and tomorrow in reported speech. Another common error is to change the reporting verb to requested but leave the imperative form unchanged, instead of converting it to an infinitive. Some also ignore the backshift of tense in embedded clauses when the reporting verb is in the past. Regular practice of these rules with simple examples helps avoid such mistakes in examination questions.

Final Answer:
The indirect sentence that correctly reports the polite request and applies the standard tense and time shifts is The boss requested him to tell him what the old man had said that day.