Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
A senior lab technician informs her new assistant: 'You must record all anomalies before submitting your daily report.' Later, the assistant recounts this instruction to a colleague. Which of the following best completes the reported speech sentence? The lab technician told me that I ______ all anomalies before submitting my daily report.
Answer और ExplanationAnswer and explanation
Answer: (C) had to record
Concept (Reported Speech में Must से Had To): Direct Speech में 'must' आदेश या ज़िम्मेदारी का भाव देता है, और past reporting verb होने पर Indirect Speech में इसका रूप 'had to' हो जाता है।
✓ Correct sentence: The lab technician told me that I had to record all anomalies before submitting my daily report.
'was recording' से अर्थ बदलकर चल रही क्रिया हो जाता है। 'would record' केवल भविष्य की संभावना बताता है, आदेश नहीं। 'should record' भी निकट है, परंतु 'must' की अनिवार्यता को उतनी सटीकता से नहीं बताता, इसलिए 'had to' सर्वोत्तम है।
Exam trap: 'should' जैसे निकट Modal को 'must' का सही रूपांतर मान लेना ही वह जाल है; Reported Speech में 'must' का रूप 'had to' होता है।
Concept (Must to Had To in Reported Speech): 'must' in direct speech conveys a command or responsibility, and after a past reporting verb it becomes 'had to' in indirect speech.
✓ Correct sentence: The lab technician told me that I had to record all anomalies before submitting my daily report.
'Was recording' changes the meaning to an ongoing action. 'Would record' only expresses a future possibility, not a command. 'Should record' is close, but does not express the necessity of 'must' as precisely, so 'had to' is the best.
Exam trap: treating a near modal such as 'should' as the correct equivalent of 'must' is the trap; the reported form of 'must' is 'had to'.
Source: DSSSB ASO 2026 · 21 Sep 2026 · Shift III। Solution: Prashant Sir, Ramban।Source: DSSSB ASO 2026 · 21 Sep 2026 · Shift III. Solution by Prashant Sir, from Ramban.