Explanation:

This question requires us to convert a direct interrogative sentence (a Wh-question) into indirect (reported) speech. This involves several key transformations: **Original Sentence:** "He said to Seema, 'Why didn't you put on the brake?'" **Rules for Converting Wh-Questions to Indirect Speech:** 1. **Reporting Verb:** The reporting verb 'said to' changes to 'asked', 'enquired', 'demanded', etc., as it's a question. 2. **Connector:** For Wh-questions (starting with 'why', 'what', 'where', 'when', etc.), the Wh-word itself acts as the conjunction to introduce the reported question. 3. **Tense Change:** The tense of the verb in the reported clause generally shifts back one step into the past (backshift). Simple Past ('didn't put') becomes Past Perfect ('hadn't put'). 4. **Pronoun Change:** Pronouns change according to the speaker and listener. 'You' (referring to Seema) changes to 'she'. 5. **Sentence Structure:** The reported question changes into an affirmative statement (no inversion of subject-verb, and no question mark at the end). Let's analyze each option based on these rules: **Option (A): He asked Seema why she hadn't put on the brake.** * **Reporting Verb:** 'said to' correctly changes to 'asked'. * **Connector:** 'why' is correctly used as the connector. * **Tense Change:** 'didn't you put' (Simple Past) correctly changes to 'she hadn't put' (Past Perfect), with 'you' becoming 'she'. * **Sentence Structure:** The sentence ends with a period, indicating a statement, not a question. The word order is subject-verb (she hadn't put). This option correctly applies all the rules for converting to indirect speech. **Option (B): He asked Seema why she hadn't putted the brake on?** * **Verb Form:** The past participle of 'put' is 'put', not 'putted'. 'Putted' is incorrect. * **Punctuation:** The sentence ends with a question mark, which is incorrect for indirect speech. Due to these errors, this option is incorrect. **Option (C): He asked Seema why she didn't put the brake.** * **Tense Change:** The tense 'didn't put' (Simple Past) is not backshifted to Past Perfect. It remains in Simple Past, which is incorrect for indirect speech when the reporting verb is in the past. Due to the incorrect tense change, this option is incorrect. **Option (D): He asked Seema if she hadn't put on the brake.** * **Connector:** 'If' is used as a connector for yes/no questions (e.g., 'Did you put on the brake?'). For Wh-questions, the Wh-word itself ('why') serves as the connector. Using 'if' here is incorrect. Due to the incorrect connector, this option is incorrect. **Conclusion:** Option (A) accurately transforms the direct interrogative sentence into indirect speech by correctly changing the reporting verb, using the appropriate connector, backshifting the tense, adjusting the pronoun, and converting the question into a statement. Therefore, option (A) is the correct answer.