Select the correct option for the Direct Speech conversion of the sentence below:
The lecturer argued that, given sufficient entropic isolation, the reaction rate could asymptotically approach zero.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The correct answer is option 1 i.e. The lecturer said, 'Given sufficient entropic isolation, the reaction rate can asymptotically approach zero.'
Reason:
The indirect speech uses the modal verb “could”, so while converting to direct speech, the same modal should generally be retained.
Option 1 accurately preserves both the meaning and the scientific tone of the original sentence.
Correct conversion: The lecturer said, 'Given sufficient entropic isolation, the reaction rate could asymptotically approach zero.'
Hence, the chosen option is correct.