Active and Passive Voice Quiz: English Grammar Practice

Spoilers! These are the Starter quiz’s answers. Easy, Medium, Hard and Mixed rounds show their own answers when you finish.

1. Choose the passive form: The chef cooked a delicious meal.

   • A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.
   • A delicious meal is cooked by the chef.
   • A delicious meal had been cooked by the chef.
   • The chef was cooking a delicious meal.

   Answer: A delicious meal was cooked by the chef.. Simple past active becomes was/were + past participle. The tense must not change.

2. Choose the passive form: They are painting the walls.

   • The walls are painted by them.
   • The walls are being painted by them.
   • The walls were being painted by them.
   • The walls have been painted by them.

   Answer: The walls are being painted by them.. Present continuous passive = is/are + being + past participle.

3. Choose the passive form: Who wrote this letter?

   • Who was this letter written by them?
   • By whom this letter was written?
   • By whom was this letter written?
   • By whom has this letter been written?

   Answer: By whom was this letter written?. 'Who' becomes 'by whom', the question keeps question order (was this letter written), and the tense stays simple past.

4. Choose the passive form: Close the door.

   • The door is closed.
   • The door has been closed.
   • Let the door to be closed.
   • Let the door be closed.

   Answer: Let the door be closed.. A command becomes 'Let + object + be + past participle'.

5. Choose the passive form: The manager has approved the leave.

   • The leave was approved by the manager.
   • The leave has been approved by the manager.
   • The leave had been approved by the manager.
   • The leave is being approved by the manager.

   Answer: The leave has been approved by the manager.. Present perfect passive = has/have + been + past participle.

6. Choose the passive form: Somebody stole my bicycle last night.

   • My bicycle was stolen last night.
   • My bicycle has been stolen last night.
   • My bicycle is stolen last night.
   • My bicycle had stolen last night.

   Answer: My bicycle was stolen last night.. A vague agent like somebody is dropped. 'Last night' fixes the simple past: was stolen.

7. Choose the passive form: The committee will announce the results tomorrow.

   • The results would be announced by the committee tomorrow.
   • The results are announced by the committee tomorrow.
   • The results will be announced by the committee tomorrow.
   • The results will announce by the committee tomorrow.

   Answer: The results will be announced by the committee tomorrow.. Future passive = will + be + past participle.

8. Choose the active form: The thief was caught by the police.

   • The police catch the thief.
   • The police had caught the thief.
   • The police were catching the thief.
   • The police caught the thief.

   Answer: The police caught the thief.. Was caught is simple past, so the active is also simple past: the police caught the thief.

9. Choose the passive form: One must keep one's promises.

   • Promises must kept.
   • Promises should have been kept.
   • Promises are kept by one.
   • Promises must be kept.

   Answer: Promises must be kept.. A modal passive = modal + be + past participle. The general agent 'one' is dropped.

10. Choose the passive form: The girls had finished the work before noon.

    • The work was finished by the girls before noon.
    • The work had been finished by the girls before noon.
    • The work has been finished by the girls before noon.
    • The work had finished by the girls before noon.

    Answer: The work had been finished by the girls before noon.. Past perfect passive = had + been + past participle.