Active and Passive Voice — 40 Exercises in PSC Exam Pattern with Answers
40 active-passive voice conversion exercises in Kerala PSC exam format with detailed answers, covering all tenses, modals, and special constructions.
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Voice change (Active to Passive and Passive to Active) is one of the most frequently tested English grammar topics in Kerala PSC exams. This note provides 40 practice exercises in exam pattern with detailed explanations.
Quick Rules for Voice Change
| Tense | Active | Passive |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | S + V1 + O | O + is/am/are + V3 + by S |
| Present Continuous | S + is/am/are + V-ing + O | O + is/am/are + being + V3 + by S |
| Present Perfect | S + has/have + V3 + O | O + has/have + been + V3 + by S |
| Simple Past | S + V2 + O | O + was/were + V3 + by S |
| Past Continuous | S + was/were + V-ing + O | O + was/were + being + V3 + by S |
| Past Perfect | S + had + V3 + O | O + had + been + V3 + by S |
| Simple Future | S + will + V1 + O | O + will + be + V3 + by S |
| Future Perfect | S + will have + V3 + O | O + will have + been + V3 + by S |
| Modal (can/may/must/should) | S + modal + V1 + O | O + modal + be + V3 + by S |
Important Points
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Subject becomes “by + agent” | The doer moves to end with “by” |
| Object becomes subject | The receiver of action becomes the subject |
| ”By” can be omitted | When agent is obvious (they, people, someone, we, one) |
| Intransitive verbs | Cannot be changed to passive (no object) |
| Two objects | Either object can become the subject in passive |
| Questions | Maintain question form in passive |
| Imperatives | Use “Let + object + be + V3” |
| Negative | ”not” stays with the auxiliary |
Exercises 1-10: Simple Present and Simple Past
Exercise 1: She writes a letter.
- (A) A letter is written by her
- (B) A letter was written by her
- (C) A letter has been written by her
- (D) A letter is being written by her
Answer: (A) A letter is written by her Rule: Simple Present: is/am/are + V3
Exercise 2: The police arrested the thief.
- (A) The thief is arrested by the police
- (B) The thief was arrested by the police
- (C) The thief has been arrested by the police
- (D) The thief had been arrested by the police
Answer: (B) The thief was arrested by the police Rule: Simple Past: was/were + V3
Exercise 3: They speak English here.
- (A) English is spoken here
- (B) English was spoken here
- (C) English has been spoken here
- (D) English is being spoken here
Answer: (A) English is spoken here Rule: Simple Present passive; “by them” omitted (general agent)
Exercise 4: Somebody stole my bicycle.
- (A) My bicycle is stolen
- (B) My bicycle was stolen
- (C) My bicycle has been stolen
- (D) My bicycle had been stolen
Answer: (B) My bicycle was stolen Rule: Simple Past; “by somebody” omitted
Exercise 5: The teacher punishes the students.
- (A) The students are punished by the teacher
- (B) The students were punished by the teacher
- (C) The students is punished by the teacher
- (D) The students has been punished by the teacher
Answer: (A) The students are punished by the teacher
Exercises 6-10: Continuous Tenses
Exercise 6: She is reading a novel.
- (A) A novel is read by her
- (B) A novel is being read by her
- (C) A novel was being read by her
- (D) A novel has been read by her
Answer: (B) A novel is being read by her Rule: Present Continuous: is/am/are + being + V3
Exercise 7: The workers were building a bridge.
- (A) A bridge was built by the workers
- (B) A bridge is being built by the workers
- (C) A bridge was being built by the workers
- (D) A bridge had been built by the workers
Answer: (C) A bridge was being built by the workers Rule: Past Continuous: was/were + being + V3
Exercise 8: They are constructing a new highway.
- (A) A new highway is constructed by them
- (B) A new highway is being constructed
- (C) A new highway was being constructed
- (D) A new highway has been constructed
Answer: (B) A new highway is being constructed Rule: Present Continuous passive; “by them” omitted
Exercise 9: The mechanic was repairing the car.
- (A) The car was repaired by the mechanic
- (B) The car was being repaired by the mechanic
- (C) The car is being repaired by the mechanic
- (D) The car has been repaired by the mechanic
Answer: (B) The car was being repaired by the mechanic
Exercise 10: Mother is cooking dinner.
- (A) Dinner is cooked by mother
- (B) Dinner was being cooked by mother
- (C) Dinner is being cooked by mother
- (D) Dinner has been cooked by mother
Answer: (C) Dinner is being cooked by mother
Exercises 11-16: Perfect Tenses
Exercise 11: She has completed the assignment.
- (A) The assignment is completed by her
- (B) The assignment has been completed by her
- (C) The assignment was completed by her
- (D) The assignment had been completed by her
Answer: (B) The assignment has been completed by her Rule: Present Perfect: has/have + been + V3
Exercise 12: They had already finished the work.
- (A) The work has been already finished
- (B) The work had already been finished
- (C) The work was already finished
- (D) The work already had been finished
Answer: (B) The work had already been finished Rule: Past Perfect: had + been + V3; adverb placement before “been”
Exercise 13: We have sent the invitation.
- (A) The invitation has been sent
- (B) The invitation was sent
- (C) The invitation is sent
- (D) The invitation had been sent
Answer: (A) The invitation has been sent
Exercise 14: The students have submitted their projects.
- (A) Their projects are submitted by the students
- (B) Their projects were submitted by the students
- (C) Their projects have been submitted by the students
- (D) Their projects had been submitted by the students
Answer: (C) Their projects have been submitted by the students
Exercise 15: He had written three novels before 2020.
- (A) Three novels have been written by him before 2020
- (B) Three novels had been written by him before 2020
- (C) Three novels were written by him before 2020
- (D) Three novels was written by him before 2020
Answer: (B) Three novels had been written by him before 2020
Exercise 16: I have never seen such a beautiful sight.
- (A) Such a beautiful sight is never seen by me
- (B) Such a beautiful sight has never been seen by me
- (C) Such a beautiful sight was never seen by me
- (D) Such a beautiful sight had never been seen by me
Answer: (B) Such a beautiful sight has never been seen by me
Exercises 17-22: Future Tense
Exercise 17: They will announce the results tomorrow.
- (A) The results will be announced tomorrow
- (B) The results would be announced tomorrow
- (C) The results shall be announced tomorrow
- (D) The results are announced tomorrow
Answer: (A) The results will be announced tomorrow Rule: Simple Future: will + be + V3
Exercise 18: The company will have completed the project by December.
- (A) The project will be completed by December
- (B) The project will have been completed by the company by December
- (C) The project would have been completed by December
- (D) The project has been completed by December
Answer: (B) The project will have been completed by the company by December Rule: Future Perfect: will + have + been + V3
Exercise 19: She will teach the students.
- (A) The students will be taught by her
- (B) The students would be taught by her
- (C) The students are taught by her
- (D) The students were taught by her
Answer: (A) The students will be taught by her
Exercise 20: We shall invite all the neighbours.
- (A) All the neighbours shall be invited by us
- (B) All the neighbours will be invited by us
- (C) All the neighbours are invited by us
- (D) All the neighbours were invited by us
Answer: (A) All the neighbours shall be invited by us
Exercise 21: The government will launch a new scheme.
- (A) A new scheme will be launched by the government
- (B) A new scheme would be launched by the government
- (C) A new scheme is launched by the government
- (D) A new scheme has been launched by the government
Answer: (A) A new scheme will be launched by the government
Exercise 22: Nobody will believe his story.
- (A) His story will not be believed by anybody
- (B) His story will be believed by nobody
- (C) His story would not be believed
- (D) His story is not believed
Answer: (A) His story will not be believed by anybody Rule: “Nobody” changes to “not…by anybody” in passive
Exercises 23-28: Modal Verbs
Exercise 23: You must finish the work today.
- (A) The work must be finished today
- (B) The work must finished today
- (C) The work must have been finished today
- (D) The work should be finished today
Answer: (A) The work must be finished today Rule: Modal + be + V3
Exercise 24: She can solve this problem easily.
- (A) This problem can be solved easily by her
- (B) This problem could be solved easily by her
- (C) This problem can solved easily by her
- (D) This problem is solved easily by her
Answer: (A) This problem can be solved easily by her
Exercise 25: You should help the poor.
- (A) The poor should be helped
- (B) The poor should helped
- (C) The poor are helped
- (D) The poor could be helped
Answer: (A) The poor should be helped
Exercise 26: They may cancel the meeting.
- (A) The meeting may be cancelled
- (B) The meeting might be cancelled
- (C) The meeting may cancelled
- (D) The meeting is cancelled
Answer: (A) The meeting may be cancelled
Exercise 27: We could hear the noise from the street.
- (A) The noise from the street could be heard
- (B) The noise from the street can be heard
- (C) The noise from the street could heard
- (D) The noise from the street was heard
Answer: (A) The noise from the street could be heard
Exercise 28: One should keep one’s promises.
- (A) Promises should be kept
- (B) Promises should kept
- (C) Promises are kept
- (D) One’s promises should be kept by one
Answer: (A) Promises should be kept Rule: “One” as agent is omitted in passive
Exercises 29-34: Imperative Sentences
Exercise 29: Open the door.
- (A) Let the door be opened
- (B) The door is opened
- (C) The door should be opened
- (D) Let the door opened
Answer: (A) Let the door be opened Rule: Imperative passive: Let + object + be + V3
Exercise 30: Do not touch the exhibits.
- (A) Let the exhibits not be touched
- (B) The exhibits should not be touched
- (C) Let not the exhibits be touched
- (D) The exhibits are not touched
Answer: (A) Let the exhibits not be touched Rule: Negative imperative: Let + object + not + be + V3
Exercise 31: Please help me.
- (A) You are requested to help me
- (B) Let me be helped
- (C) I am helped
- (D) I should be helped
Answer: (A) You are requested to help me Rule: “Please” in imperative becomes “You are requested to…”
Exercise 32: Shut the windows.
- (A) The windows are shut
- (B) Let the windows be shut
- (C) The windows should shut
- (D) Let the windows shut
Answer: (B) Let the windows be shut
Exercise 33: Do not make a noise.
- (A) Let a noise not be made
- (B) A noise should not be made
- (C) Let not a noise be made
- (D) A noise is not made
Answer: (A) Let a noise not be made
Exercise 34: Kindly grant me leave.
- (A) You are kindly requested to grant me leave
- (B) I am requested to be granted leave
- (C) You are requested to kindly grant me leave
- (D) Let me be granted leave
Answer: (C) You are requested to kindly grant me leave
Exercises 35-40: Passive to Active and Special Cases
Exercise 35: The window was broken by the boy. (Change to active)
- (A) The boy breaks the window
- (B) The boy broke the window
- (C) The boy has broken the window
- (D) The boy had broken the window
Answer: (B) The boy broke the window
Exercise 36: By whom was this letter written? (Change to active)
- (A) Who writes this letter?
- (B) Who wrote this letter?
- (C) Who has written this letter?
- (D) Who had written this letter?
Answer: (B) Who wrote this letter? Rule: “By whom” in passive becomes “Who” in active
Exercise 37: A song was being sung by her. (Change to active)
- (A) She sings a song
- (B) She sang a song
- (C) She was singing a song
- (D) She is singing a song
Answer: (C) She was singing a song
Exercise 38: The teacher gave me a book. (Two objects — change to passive)
- (A) I was given a book by the teacher
- (B) A book was given to me by the teacher
- (C) Both (A) and (B) are correct
- (D) None of the above
Answer: (C) Both (A) and (B) are correct Rule: With two objects (indirect: me, direct: book), either can become the subject
Exercise 39: People say that he is a genius. (Complex sentence)
- (A) It is said that he is a genius
- (B) He is said to be a genius
- (C) Both (A) and (B) are correct
- (D) That he is a genius is said
Answer: (C) Both (A) and (B) are correct Rule: “People say that…” can become “It is said that…” or “He is said to be…”
Exercise 40: Who taught you French?
- (A) By whom was French taught to you?
- (B) By whom were you taught French?
- (C) Both (A) and (B) are correct
- (D) French was taught by whom?
Answer: (C) Both (A) and (B) are correct
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