Select the option that expresses the given sentence in indirect speech.

The presenter announced, “The chief guest will be arriving shortly.”

Correct Answer: The presenter announced that the chief guest would be arriving shortly.

Explanation:
To convert a sentence from direct speech to indirect (reported) speech, follow these standard grammatical rules:

1. Reporting Verb: The reporting verb "announced" is in the past tense. Therefore, the verb in the reported speech must undergo a backshift in tense.
2. Tense / Auxiliary Change: The future continuous tense construction "will be arriving" changes to "would be arriving" in indirect speech.
3. Removal of Quotations: Remove the comma and quotation marks, and join the reporting clause to the reported clause using the conjunction "that".

Applying these steps:
• Direct Speech: The presenter announced, “The chief guest will be arriving shortly.”
• Indirect Speech: The presenter announced that the chief guest would be arriving shortly.

Therefore, the correct sentence in indirect speech is "The presenter announced that the chief guest would be arriving shortly."