Which of the following phrases given below the sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold letters to make the sentence grammatically correct? Choose the best option among the five given alternatives that reflect the correct use of phrase in the context of the grammatically correct sentence. If the sentence is correct as it is, mark “No correction required” as the answer.

The minister did not specify why was the policy reversed despite public support.

The correct answer is why the policy was.

Detailed Explanation:
The original sentence contains an embedded or indirect question (noun clause) serving as the direct object of the verb "specify": "why was the policy reversed...".
In direct questions, subject-auxiliary inversion is used, where the auxiliary verb comes before the subject (for example: "Why was the policy reversed?").
However, in indirect or embedded questions, we must use standard declarative word order where the subject precedes the verb (subject + verb). No inversion should occur.
Thus, the subject "the policy" must be placed before the auxiliary verb "was", leading to the correct phrase: "why the policy was".

Let us analyze the given alternatives:
1. "why did the policy" - Incorrect because it still uses interrogative word order and does not fit the passive voice requirement ("reversed" needs "was" to be passive).
2. "the reason for which" - Incorrect because replacing the bold phrase with this would make the sentence: "...specify the reason for which the policy reversed", which is grammatically incomplete as it lacks the passive auxiliary verb "was".
3. "that why the policy" - Incorrect because using the conjunction "that" right before the relative adverb "why" is redundant and grammatically incorrect.
4. "why the policy was" - Correct because it uses the proper subject-verb order ("the policy" + "was") suitable for an indirect question clause.