Choose the most suitable option to replace the highlighted part of the sentence
I asked him what was he doing there.
Answer और ExplanationAnswer and explanation
Answer: (A) what he was doing there
Concept (Word Order in Reported Question) Reported question में question word के बाद statement का शब्द-क्रम आता है, अर्थात पहले subject, फिर verb, जैसे what he was doing। Inversion (what was he doing) केवल direct speech (प्रत्यक्ष कथन) में होता है। यहाँ past continuous (अपूर्ण भूत काल) पहले ही asked के बाद सही तरह से backshift (काल परिवर्तन) हो चुका है। अतः त्रुटि केवल शब्द-क्रम में है और सही विकल्प 'what he was doing there' है।
✓ सही वाक्य: I asked him what he was doing there.
Examiner का जाल यह है कि विकल्प B बेवजह tense को past perfect continuous (पूर्ण अपूर्ण भूत काल) में बदल देता है, जबकि मूल त्रुटि केवल शब्द-क्रम की है।
Concept (Word Order in Reported Question) In reported speech, a question word is followed by statement word order, that is, subject first and verb afterwards: what he was doing there. Inversion (what was he doing) belongs only to direct speech. Here the past continuous is already correctly backshifted after asked.
✓ Correct sentence I asked him what he was doing there.
Examiner's Trap Option B needlessly changes the tense to the past perfect continuous; the original error is only in the word order.
Source: SSC CGL 2026 · 27 Oct 2026 · Shift I। Solution: Prashant Sir, Ramban।Source: SSC CGL 2026 · 27 Oct 2026 · Shift I. Solution by Prashant Sir, from Ramban.