Passive Voice Of Past Simple Quiz

Reviewed by Juliette Firla
Juliette Firla, MA (Teaching Writing) |
English Teacher
Review Board Member
Juliette is a middle school English teacher at Sacred Heart of Greenwich, Connecticut. Juliette earned a BA in English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Elon University and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She holds a Classroom Teacher license from the Connecticut State Department of Education. Juliette possesses strong skills in English language arts, writing, editing, and literature study. She has a deep passion for working with young people and contributing to the education of America's youth in the classroom.
, MA (Teaching Writing)
By Dragana Videnov
Dragana Videnov, English Language Teacher
Dragana Videnov is an English language teacher working with primary school pupils. She's a leader of the school's journalists' club, editor of the school e-magazine, administrator of English learning blogs, and holds various educational ambassadorships and certifications.
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1. The telephone .......... in 1876. (invent)

Explanation

The correct answer is "was invented" because the sentence is in the past tense and refers to the action of inventing the telephone, which happened in 1876. The verb "was invented" is in the past tense and matches the subject "telephone" to form a grammatically correct sentence.

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About This Quiz
Passive Voice Of Past Simple Quiz - Quiz

Tenses are an important aspect of English grammar. Do you know about the passive voice of past simple? With this quiz, let's see how good you are at... see morethe past simple passive form of the sentences. You are required to answer all the questions in the quiz. Do you think you can answer all the questions correctly? We invite you to take this fun quiz with your friends for a fun learning time. Learn more about English grammar by playing new, exciting quizzes! You've got it! Give this quiz a try. Have fun!   ;
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2. Her portrait .......... by a famous artist. (paint)

Explanation

The correct answer is "was painted". In this sentence, the subject "Her portrait" is the receiver of the action, and the action is "painted". The past tense form "was" is used to indicate that the painting of the portrait happened in the past.

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3. The first Nobel Peace Prize .......... in 1901. (give)

Explanation

The correct answer is "was given." This is because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "give" needs to be conjugated in the past tense form "was given" to match the subject "The first Nobel Peace Prize."

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4. The first satellite .......... into space in 1957. (send)

Explanation

In this sentence, the verb "sent" is in the past tense. The subject "The first satellite" is singular and agrees with the past tense form of the verb "was sent." Therefore, the correct answer is "was sent."

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5. That man .......... two years ago. (see)

Explanation

The correct answer is "was seen" because the sentence is in the past tense and the verb "see" needs to be conjugated in the past tense form. "Was seen" is the past tense passive form of the verb "see" in the third person singular form, which is appropriate for the subject "that man".

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6. Two men .......... yesterday. (arrest)

Explanation

The correct answer is "were arrested" because the sentence is in the past tense and the subject "two men" requires the past tense form of the verb "arrest." The past tense form of "arrest" is "arrested."

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7. Too many fish .......... from the North Sea last year. (take)

Explanation

The verb "take" is in the past tense, and the subject "too many fish" is plural, so the correct form of the verb to use is "were taken." This form agrees with the subject in terms of both tense and number.

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8. The Pyramids .......... many years ago. (build)

Explanation

The correct answer is "were built." This is because the sentence is in the past tense and refers to an action that was completed in the past. "Were built" is the correct past tense form of the verb "build" when used in the passive voice.

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9. The first aeroplane .......... in North Carolina. (fly)

Explanation

The correct answer is "was flown" because the sentence is in the past tense and is referring to an action that happened in the past. "Was flown" is the past tense of the verb "fly" and correctly completes the sentence.

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10. How did you open the door?

Explanation

The correct answer is "How was the door opened by you?" because it is in the passive voice, indicating that someone else opened the door. The question is asking for the method or manner in which the door was opened, rather than who opened it.

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11. Did you find the solution?

Explanation

This question is asking about the solution being found. The correct answer is "Was the solution found?" as it directly matches the question being asked.

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12. Where did they throw the ball?

Explanation

The correct answer is "Where was the ball thrown?" because it is asking about the location where the ball was thrown. The question is in the passive voice, indicating that the subject (they) performed the action of throwing the ball, but the focus is on the location rather than the subject.

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13. Why did he close the window?

Explanation

The answer "Why was the window closed?" is correct because it is asking for the reason or cause behind the action of closing the window. It implies that someone closed the window and the question is seeking an explanation for that action.

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14. Did she invite them?

Explanation

The correct answer is "Were they invited?" because it is the correct question form for the statement "They were invited." The question is asking about the action of inviting someone, specifically referring to the group of people mentioned.

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15. He told me to leave.

Explanation

Both sentences convey the same meaning, but the second sentence is in the passive voice. In the first sentence, "he" is the subject and "told me to leave" is the verb phrase. In the second sentence, "I" is the subject and "was told to leave" is the verb phrase in the passive voice. The passive voice emphasizes the action being done to the subject, rather than the subject performing the action.

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16. People spoke Latin in Ancient Rome.

Explanation

The statement is a simple statement of fact. It states that Latin was spoken in Ancient Rome, which is historically accurate. Latin was the language of the Roman Empire and was widely spoken by the people of Ancient Rome.

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17. Mary's granny baked the birthday cake. 

Explanation

The given answer is a passive voice construction of the original sentence. It emphasizes the action of baking the birthday cake rather than the person who performed the action. By using the passive voice, the focus is shifted from Mary's granny to the cake itself.

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18. Shakespeare wrote 'Macbeth'.

Explanation



In the active voice sentence "Shakespeare wrote 'Macbeth'", Shakespeare is the subject performing the action of writing. In the passive voice sentence "'Macbeth' was written by Shakespeare", 'Macbeth' becomes the subject, with the emphasis on the action of writing attributed to Shakespeare. The focus shifts from the doer to the receiver.
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19. Tom gave me a pen.

Explanation

Both "I was given a pen by Tom" and "A pen was given to me by Tom" are correct answers because they both accurately convey the same information. In both sentences, the subject ("I" or "A pen") received the action of being given, and the giver is identified as Tom. The passive voice is used in both sentences to emphasize the receiver of the action rather than the doer.

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20. They took the baby to the doctor's yesterday.

Explanation

The given sentence is in the active voice, where the subject "they" is performing the action of taking the baby to the doctor's. The correct answer is in the passive voice, where the subject "the baby" is being acted upon and is taken to the doctor's by an unspecified agent. The passive voice is used to shift the focus from the doer of the action to the receiver.

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Juliette Firla |MA (Teaching Writing) |
English Teacher
Juliette is a middle school English teacher at Sacred Heart of Greenwich, Connecticut. Juliette earned a BA in English/Language Arts Teacher Education from Elon University and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University. She holds a Classroom Teacher license from the Connecticut State Department of Education. Juliette possesses strong skills in English language arts, writing, editing, and literature study. She has a deep passion for working with young people and contributing to the education of America's youth in the classroom.

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The telephone .......... in 1876. (invent)
Her portrait .......... by a famous artist. (paint)
The first Nobel Peace Prize .......... in 1901. (give)
The first satellite .......... into space in 1957. (send)
That man .......... two years ago. (see)
Two men .......... yesterday. (arrest)
Too many fish .......... from the North Sea last year. (take)
The Pyramids .......... many years ago. (build)
The first aeroplane .......... in North Carolina. (fly)
How did you open the door?
Did you find the solution?
Where did they throw the ball?
Why did he close the window?
Did she invite them?
He told me to leave.
People spoke Latin in Ancient Rome.
Mary's granny baked the birthday cake. 
Shakespeare wrote 'Macbeth'.
Tom gave me a pen.
They took the baby to the doctor's yesterday.
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