Narration MCQ for NDA, CDS & AFCAT | 50 Practice Questions

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Reporting Verb in Present or Future Tense. If the reporting verb is in the present tense (‘says’) or future tense (‘will say’), the tense of the verb inside the reported speech **does not change**. Only pronouns change (‘I’ to ‘he’, ‘my’ to ‘his’).

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Simple Present Changes to Simple Past. When the reporting verb is in the past tense (‘said’), a Simple Present verb (‘write’) inside the quotation marks changes to Simple Past (‘wrote’) in indirect speech.

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Present Continuous Changes to Past Continuous. In past tense narration reporting, Present Continuous structures (‘is reading’) shift directly into Past Continuous structures (‘was reading’).

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Present Perfect Changes to Past Perfect. Under past reporting verbs, Present Perfect markers (‘have completed’) convert into Past Perfect structures (‘had completed’).

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Simple Past Changes to Past Perfect. If the direct quote uses Simple Past (‘won’) and the reporting verb is past, the verb changes to Past Perfect (‘had won’) to mark the relative timeline step backward.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Past Continuous Changes to Past Perfect Continuous. Past Continuous action structures (‘was raining’) back up to Past Perfect Continuous forms (‘had been raining’) in indirect speech transitions.

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Past Perfect Tense No Change. The **Past Perfect Tense** and **Past Perfect Continuous Tense** do not change their verb forms in indirect speech because they are already at the furthest point in the past timeline.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Universal Truths and Habits. If the reported speech expresses a **Universal Truth, Mathematical Fact, Geographical Fact, or Permanent Habit**, its tense remains completely **unchanged** even if the reporting verb is in the past tense.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Reporting Verb ‘Said to’ Conversion. In assertive statements, if ‘said’ is followed by a person object (‘said to me’), it converts to the transitive verb **’told’** without any trailing preposition ‘to’. *(Writing ‘told to’ is incorrect).*

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Future Modals Backshifting. Future modals shift to their past forms: ‘will’ changes to **’would’**, and ‘shall’ changes to **’should’** (or ‘would’ depending on pronoun subject context adjustment).

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Modal Can to Could. The ability modal form ‘can’ shifts backwards to the past ability form **’could’** when the main narration anchor verb is in the past.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Modal May to Might & Time Shifts. The possibility modal ‘may’ shifts to **’might’**, and the time expression ‘today’ converts to **’that day’** to reflect the indirect point of view.

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Unchanged Modals. Modals that are already past forms or express permanent obligation/advice (**should, would, could, might, ought to, must**) generally remain **unchanged** in indirect speech.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Interrogative Sentences (Yes/No). For questions that can be answered with yes or no, use the connector **’if’** or **’whether’**. Do not use ‘that’ as a connector before ‘if/whether’. Furthermore, change the question structure into a regular declarative statement (subject comes before the verb).

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Wh- Question Conversion. If a question begins with a question word (what, where, why, who, when, how), use that **same question word** as the connector. Do not use ‘that’. The inverted question structure must be changed back into a regular declarative sentence (‘his rank was’).

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Imperative Commands. For commands or orders, change the reporting verb to ordered/commanded. Link the imperative clause using a **to-infinitive** format (‘to march forward’).

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Negative Imperatives. For negative commands or advice, place the negative particle ‘not’ **before the to-infinitive marker** (‘not to smoke’). If you use the verb **’forbade’**, do not use ‘not’ because ‘forbade’ already contains a negative meaning.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Forbid Syntax. The reporting verb ‘forbade’ inherently means to command someone not to do something. Therefore, the subsequent clause must remain **affirmative** (‘to waste time’) to avoid a double negative error. *(Note: Option (c) is also structurally correct, but (b) satisfies the specific forbid rule tested here).*

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Requests conversion. When converting a request, change the reporting verb to ‘requested’ and **remove polite markers** like ‘please’ or ‘kindly’ because their meaning is already expressed by the reporting verb.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Let’s Proposals Framework. When ‘Let us’ or ‘Let’s’ expresses a proposal or suggestion, change the reporting verb to ‘suggested to’ or ‘proposed to’. Use ‘that’ as the connector, followed by the clause template **’they/we should + verb’**.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Exclame Sentences with ‘What/How’. Change the reporting verb to ‘exclaimed with joy/wonder’ or simply ‘exclaimed’. Remove exclamatory structures (‘What a’) and convert the remark into a regular assertive sentence using intensifiers like **’very’** or **’great’** (‘it was a very beautiful scene’).

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Alas Conversion. Exclamatory interjections showing grief like ‘Alas!’ are removed, and the reporting verb is changed to **’exclaimed with sorrow/grief’** or ‘exclaimed sadly’.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Hurrah Conversion. Interjections showing joy like ‘Hurrah!’ are removed, and the reporting verb is changed to **’exclaimed with joy’** or ‘exclaimed joyfully’.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Optative Sentences. For blessings, prayers, or wishes, change the reporting verb to ‘wished’ or ‘prayed’. Use ‘that’ as the connector, and shift the modal ‘may’ to its past form **’might’** while rearranging it into a declarative word order.

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: SON Formula – First Person. First-person pronouns inside the quotation marks (‘I’, ‘we’, ‘my’, ‘our’) always change according to the **subject** of the reporting clause. Since the subject is ‘I’, the pronoun remains ‘I’.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: SON Formula – Second Person. Second-person pronouns inside quotation marks (‘you’, ‘your’) change according to the **object** of the reporting clause. The object here is ‘me’, so the subjective pronoun changes to ‘I’.

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: SON Formula – Third Person No Change. Third-person pronouns inside the quotation marks (‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘they’, ‘him’, ‘her’, ‘their’) undergo **no change** in indirect speech transitions.

Correct Answer: (c)

Rule: Proximal to Distal Deictic Shifts. Words showing proximity in space or time change to show distance: ‘this’ changes to **’that’**, ‘these’ changes to **’those’**, and ‘here’ changes to **’there’**.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Tomorrow Shifts. Time markers are shifted relative to the past point of narration: ‘tomorrow’ converts to **’the next day’** or **’the following day’**.

Correct Answer: (c)

Rule: Yesterday Shifts. The time expression ‘yesterday’ must be converted into **’the previous day’** or **’the day before’** alongside the past perfect verb shift (‘had bought’).

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Historical Facts Exception. If the direct quotation records an established **historical fact**, the present tense copula can remain **unchanged** in its present form because the statement remains valid as an ongoing fact.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Proverbs and Maxims. Tense logic is suspended for **proverbs, maxims, or well-known idioms**. Their verb forms remain in the simple present tense (‘is’) to keep their proverbial value intact.

Correct Answer: (c)

Rule: If vs Whether. While both ‘if’ and ‘whether’ are used for yes/no questions, **’whether’** is preferred when the sentence implies a clear choice or alternative, or when it is followed by an implied ‘or not’. Declarative statement structure must be maintained (‘I wanted’).

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Surprise Interjections. Phrases showing sudden shock or dismay like ‘Good heavens!’ or ‘My God!’ are dropped in indirect speech, and the reporting verb is changed to **’exclaimed with surprise’** or ‘exclaimed with shock’.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Why Question Conversion. When converting a ‘why’ question, use ‘why’ as the connector and change the inverted question structure back into a declarative layout (subject ‘he’ comes before the verb phrase ‘had been quiet’). The simple past ‘were’ shifts backwards to the past perfect form **’had been’**.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Reverse Narration (Indirect to Direct). To convert back to direct speech, change the reporting verb ‘told’ back to ‘said to’. The past perfect form ‘had performed’ shifts forward to the present perfect form **’have performed’**, and the pronouns are restored to their original first-person forms (‘we’, ‘our’) to match the subject ‘He’ inside a joint action context.

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Unchanged Subjunctive Conditionals. In hypothetical or imaginary second conditional statements using the subjunctive **’were’** and **’would’**, the verb forms **do not change** in indirect speech because they express an unfulfilled state rather than an actual time sequence.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Present Tense ‘Says to’ Shift. If the reporting verb is in the present tense and is followed by an object (‘says to someone’), it converts to **’tells’** (or ‘tell’ for plural subjects) without any following preposition ‘to’. The tense inside the reported speech remains unchanged.

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Simultaneous Past Actions Exception. If the reported speech describes **two actions happening at the exact same time in the past** (often linked by ‘while’ or ‘as’), their tenses **do not change** to the past perfect to keep their simultaneous timeline clear.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Greetings and Respectful Terms. When encountering greetings like ‘Good morning’ or ‘Good afternoon’, change the reporting verb to **’wished’**. Honorific address terms like ‘sir’ or ‘madam’ are removed, and their respectful meaning is conveyed by adding the adverb **’respectfully’** to the reporting clause.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Farewell Conversions using ‘Bade’. For departure tokens and farewell expressions like ‘Goodbye’ or ‘Good night’, the reporting verb ‘said to’ is changed to **’bade’** (past tense of bid).

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Imperatives Embedded in Conditionals. When an imperative instruction (‘tell him’) is embedded within a conditional ‘if’ clause, it is converted using a modal helper like **’should’** or **’ought to’** to express the requested duty smoothly in indirect speech.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Let there be Conversion. When ‘Let there be’ is used in an authoritative decree or wish by an authority figure, convert the reporting verb to ‘commanded’ or ‘decreed’. Use ‘that’ as the connector, followed by the structural template **’there should be’**.

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Reverse Interrogative Narration. When changing from indirect back to a direct question, restore the question word ‘Where’ and **invert the word order** so the helper verb (‘are’) comes before the subject pronoun (‘you’). Restore the question mark at the end.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Thank you Conversion. When direct speech contains conversational formulas like ‘Thank you’, change the main reporting verb directly into the active verb form **’thanked’** and remove the conversational formula.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Congratulations Conversion. Similar to ‘thank you’, congratulations expressions are converted by changing the reporting verb directly into the active verb form **’congratulated’**. This is typically paired with the prepositional structure **’on + gerund’** (‘congratulated someone on winning’).

Correct Answer: (c)

Rule: Ago to Before. The time adverb ‘ago’ must be converted into **’before’** in indirect speech to maintain a consistent point of view, and the simple past verb ‘landed’ shifts backwards to the past perfect form ‘had landed’.

Correct Answer: (b)

Rule: Hence to Thence & Present Reporting Verb. In formal or literary grammar rules, the direction marker ‘hence’ shifts to **’thence’**, and ‘hither’ shifts to ‘thither’. Because the reporting verb is in the present tense (‘reads’), the verb form ‘departed’ **does not change** its tense.

Correct Answer: (a)

Rule: Past Habitual Actions Exception. If the direct quotation describes a **Past Habitual Action** using expressions like **’used to’** or describes a continuous state during a period in the past, its verb tenses remain **unchanged** to keep the habitual meaning clear.

Correct Answer: (c)

Rule: Double ‘That’ Validation. The reporting phrase ‘said to us’ correctly converts to ‘told us’. The first ‘that’ functions as the necessary conjunction connector, and the second **’that’** is the required spatial conversion of the demonstrative pronoun ‘this’. Having both back-to-back as **’that that’** is fully correct.