Voice - English Aptitude MCQ Questions and Answers

A letter was being written by Mona to her father.

Given sentence is in past continuous tense and it is in active voice.

Rule :
Subject + (was /were) + being + V³ + Optional Agents.

Quebec was surrendered by the French to the English in 1759.

Given sentence is in simple past tense and it is in active voice.

Rule :
Subject + (was/were) + V³ + Other agents.

Active voice: "My uncle promised me a present."

In this sentence: "My uncle" is the subject, "me" is the indirect object, and "a present" is the direct object.

To convert it into passive voice, we can make either the indirect object or the direct object the subject of the passive sentence.

Option B correctly changes "me" (indirect object) into the subject: "I was promised a present by my uncle."

This structure is grammatically correct and natural in English.

Why the other options are incorrect:

Option A: "A present was promised by my uncle to me" is grammatically correct but less natural in common usage.

Option C: "I had been promised" uses past perfect tense, which does not match the original simple past tense "promised".

Option D: "I was promised by my uncle a present" is grammatically awkward and not the standard structure.

Therefore, Option B is the best and most appropriate passive voice transformation.

A house is being built by them next door to our school.

Given sentence is in present continuous tense and it is in active voice.

Rule :
Subject + (is /am /are) + being + V³ + Other agents.

By whom was she taught such things?

Given sentence is in simple past tense and it is in active voice.

Rule :
Subject + (was / were) + V³ + Optional Agents.

I was told by somebody that there had been an explosion in the Town Hall.

Given sentence is in simple past tense and it is in active voice.

Rule :
Subject + (was / were) + V³ + Optional Agents.

The correct answer is Option D: We are taught Grammar by him.
Let's break down why:
The original sentence "He teaches us grammar" is in the active voice.
In the active voice, the subject (He) performs the action (teaches) on the object (us, grammar).
To change it to the passive voice, we need to:
1. Identify the object that becomes the subject. In this case, "us" can become "we".
2. Use the correct form of the verb "to be" (is, are, was, were, etc.) that matches the tense of the original sentence. Since the original sentence is in the present simple tense ("teaches"), we need the present simple form of "to be," which is "are" for "we".
3. Use the past participle of the main verb ("teach"). The past participle of "teach" is "taught".
4. Include the original subject ("He") as the object of the preposition "by". This becomes "by him".
Therefore, the correct passive voice sentence is: "We are taught Grammar by him."
Let's look at why the other options are incorrect:
Option A: Grammar is taught to us by him. While grammatically correct, this focuses on "Grammar" being taught, which isn't the direct change from "He teaches *us*". It's a less direct transformation of the original sentence.
Option B: We are being taught Grammar by him. This implies a continuous action (present continuous passive), which isn't the tense of the original sentence.
Option C: Grammar is being taught us by him. This is grammatically incorrect. You can't "teach us" something directly in the passive voice like this. It should be "Grammar is being taught *to* us" if attempting a continuous passive tense. However, even with the corrected "to", option B is better because the original sentence isn't continuous.

A bull dog was given to her.

Given sentence is in simple past tense and it is in active voice.

Rule :
Subject + (was / were) + V³ + Optional Agents.

Tea is grown in Darjeeling.

Given sentence is in simple present tense and it is in active voice.

Rule :
Subject + (is /am /are) + V³ + Other agents.

One's promise should be kept.

The subject 'One' has to be replaced with 'One's promises' keeping the tense same.