IMO Practice Test — Reported Speech — Introduction
8 Questions • 15 min • Olympiad level
15:00
Question 1 of 8
Report: 'The guide said, "The museum opens at nine."'
The guide said the museum opened at nine.
The guide said the museum opens at nine.
Both are acceptable (a permanent fact may stay present).
The guide said the museum had opened at nine.
Explanation: A general/permanent fact may keep the present tense or back-shift; both are accepted.
Question 2 of 8
Spot the error: 'He asked me that whether I would help.'
remove 'that'
remove 'whether'
would is wrong
no error
Explanation: Don't combine 'that' with 'whether/if'.
Question 3 of 8
Report: 'She said, "Let's go for a walk."' (suggestion)
She suggested going for a walk.
She said let us go for a walk.
She told to go for a walk.
She asked to go for a walk.
Explanation: 'Let's' (suggestion) → 'suggested + gerund'.
Question 4 of 8
Choose the correct report: 'He said, "I must leave now."'
He said he must leave then.
He said he had to leave then.
He said he musted leave now.
He said that leave now he must.
Explanation: 'must' (obligation) often becomes 'had to'; 'now' → 'then'.
Question 5 of 8
Report: 'Mother said, "May God bless you!"' (a wish)
Mother prayed that God might bless me.
Mother said God may bless me.
Mother told God to bless me.
Mother asked if God blessed me.
Explanation: A wish/prayer is reported with 'prayed/wished that … might'.
Question 6 of 8
Identify the error: 'The teacher told that we should be quiet.'
told → said (or 'told us')
should is wrong
quiet is wrong
no error
Explanation: 'told' needs an object ('told us'), or use 'said that'.
Question 7 of 8
Report the exclamation: 'He said, "What a beautiful sight!"'
He exclaimed that it was a very beautiful sight.
He said what a beautiful sight.
He asked what a beautiful sight it was.
He told that it was beautiful sight.
Explanation: Exclamations are reported with 'exclaimed that … very …'.
Question 8 of 8
Choose the correct report: 'She said, "I have been waiting since morning."'
She said she has been waiting since morning.
She said she had been waiting since that morning.
She said that I had been waiting.
She said she waited since morning.
Explanation: Present perfect continuous → past perfect continuous; 'morning' adjusted to 'that morning'.