Active & Passive Voice Quiz

1. Which sentence is in the passive voice?

1. A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.
2. The chef cooked a delicious meal.
3. The chef had cooked a delicious meal.
4. The chef is cooking a delicious meal.

2. Convert to passive voice: 'Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.'

1. Hamlet had written by Shakespeare.
2. Hamlet is written by Shakespeare.
3. Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.
4. Hamlet wrote by Shakespeare.

3. What is the passive form of: 'They are building a new stadium'?

1. A new stadium has been built.
2. A new stadium is being built.
3. A new stadium is built by them.
4. A new stadium was being built.

4. In which situation is passive voice most appropriate?

1. When the agent is unknown, unimportant, or obvious
2. When the subject is performing an action on itself
3. When writing casual, conversational text
4. When you want to emphasise who performed the action

5. Which sentence is in the active voice?

1. Mistakes were made.
2. The letter was delivered this morning.
3. The scientist discovered a new element.
4. The window was broken by the ball.

6. What is the passive voice of: 'The committee will announce the results tomorrow'?

1. The results are announced by the committee tomorrow.
2. The results have been announced by the committee.
3. The results will be announced tomorrow.
4. The results would be announced tomorrow.

7. Identify the passive sentence where the agent is omitted:

1. A letter was sent by the manager to all staff.
2. The car was repaired by the mechanic.
3. The criminal was caught by the police.
4. The fire was extinguished.

8. Which passive sentence is in the present perfect tense?

1. The form has been completed.
2. The form is being completed.
3. The form was completed.
4. The form will have been completed.

9. Why do scientists and academics often prefer passive voice in writing?

1. It is grammatically more precise than active voice
2. It removes the personal subject, making writing seem objective and impersonal
3. It sounds more intelligent and impressive
4. It takes up less space on the page

10. Convert to active voice: 'The cake was eaten by the children.'

1. The cake ate by the children.
2. The cake is eaten by the children.
3. The children ate the cake.
4. The children have eaten the cake.

11. Which of the following is an example of the 'agentless passive' used to avoid responsibility?

1. Mistakes were made.
2. The contract was signed by both parties.
3. The suspect was arrested by police.
4. The window was broken by the ball.

12. What is wrong with this sentence? 'The homework was forgot by the student.'

1. 'By the student' should come before 'the homework'
2. 'Forgot' should be 'forgotten' — passive needs the past participle
3. The sentence should use active voice
4. There is nothing wrong with this sentence

13. Which sentence correctly uses a passive infinitive?

1. She wants being promoted.
2. She wants to be promoted.
3. She wants to promoted.
4. She was wanting to promote.

14. What is the passive form of: 'Someone has stolen my wallet'?

1. My wallet had been stolen by someone.
2. My wallet has been stolen.
3. My wallet is stolen.
4. My wallet was stolen by someone.

15. Which sentence uses passive voice to shift emphasis to the recipient of an action?

1. John awarded the prize.
2. John gave Mary a prize.
3. Mary was given a prize by John.
4. The prize was John's to give.

16. What does 'get-passive' mean in informal English?

1. A passive construction with no agent
2. Using 'become' instead of 'be' in passive constructions
3. Using 'get' instead of 'be' to form informal passives: 'She got fired'
4. Using passive voice in questions only

17. Convert to passive: 'The teacher is marking the essays.'

1. The essays are being marked by the teacher.
2. The essays are marked by the teacher.
3. The essays have been marked by the teacher.
4. The essays were being marked by the teacher.

18. In journalism, why is 'Two people were killed in the crash' preferred over 'The crash killed two people'?

1. Passive is always grammatically preferred in news writing
2. Shorter sentences are always better in news
3. The active form would be too emotionally direct
4. The passive foregrounds the victims, which is the news focus, not the crash

19. Which sentence has a grammatically incorrect passive construction?

1. She was given a warning.
2. The bill was paid by the company.
3. The song is being sung.
4. They were arrived at the airport.

20. What is the difference between 'The window was broken' (passive) and 'The window is broken' (stative)?

1. 'Is broken' is active; 'was broken' is passive
2. 'Was broken' describes an action in the past; 'is broken' describes the current state/condition
3. 'Was broken' is informal; 'is broken' is formal
4. There is no difference — both are passive