A sentence has been given in Direct/Indirect Speech. Out of the four given alternatives, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Indirect/Direct Speech.
The teacher said, "Akbar was born in India."

Correct option is C

​Correct option: C — “The teacher said that Akbar was born in India.”

Step-by-step conversion (Direct → Indirect)
Direct speech:
The teacher said, “Akbar was born in India.”

1. Identify sentence type: Assertive/declarative statement.

   • For statements, we usually use the conjunction that in indirect speech.

2. Reporting verb & its tense: said (simple past).

   • General rule (Sequence of Tenses): if the reporting verb is in the past, the tense of the reported clause usually shifts one step back (was → had been, etc.).

   • Exception: Universal truths, scientific facts, and historical facts do not undergo tense backshift. We keep the original tense to preserve factual timelessness.

3. Reported clause content: “Akbar was born in India.”

   • This is a historical fact. Therefore, no backshift: “was born” stays “was born.”

4. Connector & punctuation:

   • Remove quotation marks and comma.

   • Insert that: said that…

5. Pronouns/time/place words:

   • No pronoun/time/place changes are needed here.

Result: The teacher said that Akbar was born in India.