SSC CGL 2025 Tier-I · 22 September 2025, Shift 1 · English Comprehension · Question 23 of 98

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 13 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. Rita said, ”Alas! I am ruined.”

(a)Rita said she was ruined.
(b)Rita exclaimed with sorrow that she was ruined.
(c)Rita said that she ruined.
(d)Rita exclaimed sadly that I am ruined.

Answer

Why

Correct — B. The direct speech is an exclamation: the interjection Alas! expresses sorrow.

In indirect speech the interjection is dropped and its feeling moves into the reporting verb: said becomes exclaimed with sorrow (or exclaimed sadly).

The usual changes follow: I → she, am → was, joined by that. Rita exclaimed with sorrow that she was ruined: option (b).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
Rita said she was ruined. — Said loses the exclamation. The pronoun and tense are right, but Alas carried Rita's sorrow and a plain said drops it.
(c)
Rita said that she ruined. — She ruined drops was. I am ruined describes a state (be + past participle); she ruined is an action with no object, which changes the meaning.
(d)
Rita exclaimed sadly that I am ruined. — I am ruined is left unconverted. Exclaimed sadly is right, but in indirect speech I must become she and am must shift back to was.

Concept

An exclamation is reported with a verb such as exclaimed, plus a phrase naming the feeling the interjection carried: Alas → with sorrow or sadly, Hurrah → with joy.

The interjection and the exclamation mark are dropped, and the sentence ends with a full stop.

The ordinary rules still apply. Pronouns shift to the reporter's point of view (I → she), and after a past reporting verb the present shifts back (am → was).

Key facts

Interjections such as Alas and Hurrah are dropped in indirect speech.
Said becomes exclaimed, with a phrase for the feeling: Alas → with sorrow or sadly, Hurrah → with joy.
After a past reporting verb, am becomes was.
The speaker's I follows the reporter's point of view: Rita's I becomes she.

Study next

Reporting wishes and prayers: May God bless you → prayed that God might blessReporting commands and requests: said → ordered, requested, advisedExclamations with What and How: What a fine day! → exclaimed that it was a very fine day

Common traps

Stopping at said, which gets the pronoun and tense right but loses the exclamation.
Changing the reporting verb to exclaimed but forgetting to convert I am.

The same direct-to-indirect frame is asked at 15 Sep 2025, 09:00, English Q.22, where I said, 'He will be here by noon' is keyed I said that he would be there by noon: will → would, here → there.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.

Topic: Narration — all 65 SSC CGL questions on it, every solved shift.