SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 19 September 2025, Shift 1 · English Comprehension · Question 22 of 100

We transcribed this text from the pictures on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; the answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 11 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. From 2025 the candidate response sheet prints every question and option as a picture, so the text here is transcribed from those pictures for this shift and checked against them independently; where the layout carries meaning, the picture is shown as well. Each answer is the key SSC colour-marked on that sheet. SSC released a tentative key for challenge and later its final one, both only to candidates behind a login, and the sheet does not say which of the two it carries. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

A sentence is provided in direct speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding indirect speech. She said, “Why didn’t you tell me the truth earlier?”

(a)She asked why I hadn’t told her the truth earlier.
(b)She asked why hadn’t I told her the truth earlier.
(c)She said why I didn’t tell her the truth earlier.
(d)She questioned why did I not tell her the truth.

Answer

Why

Correct — A. Reporting a question changes three things.

The verb: said → asked, because she is asking.
The order: why stays as the link, and the clause becomes a statement, I hadn't told, not 'hadn't I told'.
The tense: past simple didn't tell moves back to past perfect hadn't told, with you → I and me → her.

The question mark goes and 'earlier' stays → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
She asked why hadn’t I told her the truth earlier. — Keeps the question order, hadn't I told. Once the question becomes a reported clause after asked, the subject comes before the verb: why I hadn't told.
(c)
She said why I didn’t tell her the truth earlier. — Keeps said, but a reported question needs a questioning verb such as asked. It also leaves didn't tell in the past simple instead of moving it back to hadn't told.
(d)
She questioned why did I not tell her the truth. — Keeps the question order, did I not tell, leaves the tense unshifted, and drops earlier, so it loses part of what she asked.

Concept

A wh-question in reported speech keeps its question word (why, what, when) as the link and turns into a statement: subject, then verb, no question mark.

A yes/no question has no question word, so it takes if or whether instead.

The backshift still applies after asked: past simple → past perfect, so didn't tell → hadn't told.

The auxiliary did disappears because of the tense change, not the word order. In the past perfect, had carries both the tense and the negative: hadn't told. Without the backshift, the statement order would be why I didn't tell.

Key facts

Reported wh-questions keep the wh-word and use statement order: 'Where is he?' → she asked where he was.
Reported yes/no questions take if or whether: 'Are you ready?' → he asked if I was ready.
Past simple becomes past perfect after a past reporting verb: didn't tell → hadn't told.
The question mark is dropped in a reported question.

Study next

Reported yes/no questions with if and whetherReporting commands and requests: told or asked + to-infinitivePronoun changes in reported speech

Common traps

Keeping the inverted order, hadn't I told — reported questions use statement order.
Keeping said for a question — the reporting verb becomes asked.

The same wh-question pattern is keyed at 17 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.21: 'What are you doing?' becomes 'He asked what I was doing.'

For a yes/no question, 12 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.22 keys 'He asked me if I had done my homework.'

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Narration — all 23 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.