Correct option is A
The correct direct form of "I asked my friend how one could be merry when everything was so messed up" is "I said to my friend, 'How can one be merry when everything is so messed up?'"
Direct speech- Direct speech, also known as quoted speech or direct quotation, is a way of reporting someone's exact words.
Indirect speech- Indirect speech, also known as reported speech or indirect quotation, is a way of reporting someone's words or thoughts indirectly, without using their exact words.
The following rules should be followed while converting an indirect speech to direct speech:
· Use the reporting verb such as (say, said to) in its correct tense.
· Put a comma before the statement and the first letter of the statement should be in capital letter.
· Insert question mark, quotation marks, exclamation mark and full stop, based on the mood of the sentence.
· Remove the conjunctions like (that, to, if or whether) wherever necessary.
· Where the reporting verb is in past tense in indirect, change it to present tense in the direct speech.
· Change the past perfect tense either into present perfect tense or past tense, as necessary.
· Pronouns will be changed accordingly.