In the following question on reported speech, convert the direct question asked by the mother into indirect speech: Mother said, "Will you tell me what it means, Pritam?"

Introduction / Context:
This problem tests knowledge of changing direct speech into indirect or reported speech, especially when the direct speech is a question. The original sentence shows a mother asking Pritam a question about whether he will explain something to her. The candidate must transform this into a grammatically correct reported question in indirect speech.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- Reporting clause: “Mother said”. - Direct question: “Will you tell me what it means, Pritam?” - The question is of the yes or no type, introduced with “Will you ... ?”. - Standard rules of backshifting tenses and pronouns apply in reported speech.

Concept / Approach:
When converting a direct yes or no question into indirect speech, the auxiliary “will” usually changes to “would” because the reporting verb “said” is in a past tense. The interrogative word order changes back to a normal declarative order. The conjunction “if” or “whether” introduces the reported question. Pronouns and possessive adjectives must be adjusted to reflect the new point of view: “you” becomes “he”, and “me” becomes “her”, referring to the mother. The phrase “what it means” is also typically shifted to “what it meant” to match the backshift in tense.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Change the reporting verb phrase from “said” to a form that introduces a question. We keep “said” but add “asked” for clarity: “Mother asked Pritam ...”. Step 2: Introduce the reported question with “if” or “whether”, since it is a yes or no question: “Mother asked Pritam if ...”. Step 3: Adjust the subject pronoun. “You” in the direct speech refers to Pritam, so it becomes “he”. Step 4: Backshift the auxiliary “will” to “would” because the reporting verb is in the past: “he would tell”. Step 5: Replace “me” with “her”, referring to the mother, and keep the embedded clause “what it means”, but with backshift to “what it meant”. Step 6: Combine the elements to get: “Mother asked Pritam if he would tell her what it meant.” Step 7: Match this construction with the options and choose the one that is identical.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, mentally reverse the process. From the reported sentence “Mother asked Pritam if he would tell her what it meant”, we can reconstruct the direct question: “Mother said, ‘Will you tell me what it means, Pritam?’” This back-conversion restores “will” and the pronouns “you” and “me”, which confirms that the reported version is accurate. Also, the option correctly uses “if” to introduce a yes or no question and maintains the inner clause “what it meant” as an object of “tell”.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A: Uses “will” instead of “would”, ignoring the need for backshift with a past reporting verb. Option B: Uses “that” instead of “if” and produces a clause that does not sound like a reported question. Option D: Again uses “that” and “will”, which is not appropriate after a past reporting verb. Option E: Retains “will” and “what it means”, which do not fully comply with the usual rules of backshifting in reported speech.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners often forget to change “will” to “would” and “can” to “could” when reporting in the past. They may also confuse when to use “that” and when to use “if” or “whether”. Remember that “if” and “whether” introduce reported yes or no questions, while “that” typically introduces reported statements. Another frequent mistake is failing to adjust pronouns from the perspective of the original speaker to that of the reporter.

Final Answer:
The correct indirect speech form is Mother asked Pritam if he would tell her what it meant.