The beggar said, “Poverty is a great curse.”

The beggar said poverty has a great curse.
The beggar said that poverty is a great curse.
The beggar said that poverty was a great curse.
The beggar said that poverty had been a great curse.

The correct answer is: B. The beggar said that poverty is a great curse.

The beggar is using the verb “to say” to express a thought or opinion. In this case, the beggar is saying that poverty is a great curse. The use of the word “that” indicates that the beggar is making a statement about poverty, not simply describing it. The use of the present tense indicates that the beggar believes that poverty is a great curse in the present day.

The other options are incorrect because they do not accurately reflect the beggar’s statement. Option A, “The beggar said poverty has a great curse,” is incorrect because the beggar is not saying that poverty has a curse, but rather that poverty is a curse. Option C, “The beggar said that poverty was a great curse,” is incorrect because the beggar is using the present tense, not the past tense. Option D, “The beggar said that poverty had been a great curse,” is incorrect because the beggar is not saying that poverty had been a curse, but rather that poverty is a curse.