This is an example of direct speech. In reported speech, it would be: "He wanted to know if we had been shopping". The reporting verb changes from "asked" to "wanted to know," and the tense shifts from the present perfect ("Have you been") to the past perfect ("had been").
He asked us, "Have you been shopping?"
Review the verified answer and explanation for this ASF Airports Security Force past-paper question on CampusFin.
Question context
This question is part of 🗣️ Verbal Ability within the broader 🧠 Aptitude Mastery subject and appears in the ASF Airports Security Force preparation collection. Reviewing the answer together with nearby questions helps reinforce the underlying concept and identify how it may appear in competitive exams.