When I came home, my mother asked me if I …

Analyze the question

The sentence is in reported (indirect) speech. The main verb "asked" is in the past tense, and we must pick the verb form that correctly completes "...asked me if I ......"

Explain the concept

When the reporting verb is in the past tense (asked, said, told), the tense of the original question shifts one step back:

• Present simple → Past simple
• Present perfect → Past perfect
• Past simple → Past perfect

Show the solution

The mother's original question would have been:

> "Have you eaten?" (present perfect)

This is a natural question to ask someone who has just come home. When we report it after "asked," the present perfect changes to the past perfect:

> My mother asked me if I had eaten.

Now check the other options:

• A. ate: Simple past doesn't clearly show that the eating was completed before the mother asked. It is not the standard backshift for "Have you eaten?"
• B. was eating: This suggests I was in the middle of eating, which doesn't fit the usual meaning.
• C. have eaten: Present perfect can't follow a past tense reporting verb (asked). This is a tense mismatch.
• D. had eaten: Past perfect is the correct backshift, and it shows the eating was completed before the question was asked.

Answer: The correct option is D. had eaten.

Tip: In reported speech, if the reporting verb is past (asked, said, told), shift the tense back. Remember "have/has + past participle → had + past participle". Whenever you see asked me if I... in a past context, look first for the past perfect.