A sentence is provided in indirect speech. From the four given options, choose the one that most accurately conveys the sentence in its corresponding direct speech:
The professor remarked that students needed to submit their papers before Friday.

Correct option is A

The correct indirect/ direct speech is (a) “Students need to submit their papers before Friday,” the professor remarked.
Explain the right answer in detailed form: In indirect speech, needed to commonly appears due to backshift when the reporting verb is in the past (“remarked”). While converting to direct speech, we usually restore the likely original tense, especially when it reflects an instruction/requirement that was true at the time of speaking: need to submit. Option (a) keeps the same meaning and matches the reporting verb remarked.
Rules of conversion used (Indirect → Direct):
· Restore tense if backshifted: needed to → need to (common direct form)
· Keep the message as a statement (not necessarily imperative) because “remarked” often reports statements.
· Example: She said that I was late. → “You are late,” she said.
· Information booster / exceptions related to grammatical topic:
· Option (c) is an imperative and would suit verbs like ordered/instructed, but the given reporting verb is remarked, so a statement-style direct speech is more accurate here.