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Quizzes > High School Quizzes > English Language Arts

Active and Passive Voice Practice Quiz

Boost your grammar with active and passive sentences quiz

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Eirini IreneUpdated Aug 26, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
Grade: Grade 8
Study OutcomesCheat Sheet
Colorful paper art promoting an engaging English grammar quiz on active vs passive voice.

This active and passive voice quiz helps you practice spotting each voice and fixing sentences. You'll work through 20 short, high school questions and see how well you can change a line from active to passive and back. Use it as a quick review to check gaps before class or a test.

Which sentence is in the passive voice?
Praising the team, the coach smiled.
The coach will praise the team tomorrow.
The team was praised by the coach after the game.
The coach praised the team after the game.
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Choose the correct passive form of: The committee approves the budget.
The committee is approved by the budget.
The budget is approved by the committee.
The budget approves the committee.
The budget was approving by the committee.
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Select the active version of: The song was written by Maya.
Maya wrote the song.
The song had been written by Maya.
Maya was writing the song.
The song is written by Maya.
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Which passive sentence keeps the original tense of: The chef prepared the meal.
The meal was prepared by the chef.
The meal has been prepared by the chef.
The meal is prepared by the chef.
The meal will be prepared by the chef.
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Identify the agent in this passive sentence: The poem was recited by the student.
The poem
was
by the student
was recited
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Select the passive voice sentence with present continuous tense.
The clerk is mailing the letters.
The letters were being mailed by the clerk.
The letters are being mailed by the clerk.
The letters are mailed by the clerk.
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Transform to passive while keeping meaning: The storm damaged several houses.
Several houses were damaged by the storm.
Several houses are being damaged by the storm.
Several houses are damaged by the storm.
Several houses had been damaged by the storm.
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Choose the sentence where the passive is inappropriate and should be active for clarity.
It was eaten by my brother the last slice of pizza.
It is believed that the earth orbits the sun.
The winner was announced by the host.
The test will be graded by Friday.
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Select the correct active rewrite: The novel has been translated into Spanish.
They are translating the novel into Spanish yesterday.
They translate the novel into Spanish yesterday.
They translated the novel into Spanish now.
They have translated the novel into Spanish.
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Which sentence uses the get-passive correctly?
The window gets breaking last night.
The window got broken last night.
The window got break last night.
The window got broke last night.
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Select the sentence where the by-phrase should be omitted for natural style.
The book was written by Toni Morrison.
The experiment was designed by Dr. Lee.
The thief was arrested by the police.
The sculpture was created by Rodin.
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Identify the sentence where passive avoids blaming the agent appropriately.
Mistakes were made during the rollout.
Alex made mistakes during the rollout.
The rollout was a mistake.
They made mistakes during the rollout.
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Select the sentence using passive to foreground the receiver appropriately.
The victim was taken to the hospital.
They took the victim to the hospital.
The hospital took the victim.
Someone takes the victim to the hospital.
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Which sentence correctly changes an -ing clause to passive? People saw him leaving the building.
He is seen to leaving the building.
He was seeing leaving the building.
He seen leaving the building.
He was seen leaving the building.
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Choose the correct passive infinitive: We expect them to finish the work.
The work expected to finish.
The work expects to be finished.
The work is expected to be finished.
The work is expecting finished.
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Which passive correctly matches the perfect continuous meaning? They have been cleaning the lab.
The lab has being cleaned.
The lab is been being cleaned.
The lab had been being cleaned.
The lab has been being cleaned.
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Identify the sentence where passive hides the agent inappropriately for academic writing.
Data were collected daily.
The samples were heated to 80 C.
It was decided that funding would be cut.
The solution was stirred for 5 minutes.
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Select the correct passive imperative: Close the door.
Door be closed.
Be the door closed.
Let be closed the door.
Let the door be closed.
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Pick the correct passive for a verb with no object (impossible case).
Arrive is arrived by them.
Arrive can be passivized as was arrived.
Arrive cannot take a natural passive.
Arrive gets arrived sometimes.
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Pick the correct passive with an agent clause containing a clause: The fact surprised us that he won.
We were surprised for that he won.
We were surprised by that he won.
We were surprised that he won.
We were surprised which he won.
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand the key differences between active and passive voice.
  2. Identify and differentiate between active and passive sentence structures.
  3. Apply conversion techniques to change sentences from active to passive voice and vice versa.
  4. Analyze the impact of voice choice on sentence clarity and style.
  5. Evaluate sentences for grammatical correctness based on active or passive constructions.

Active & Passive Voice Cheat Sheet

  1. Understand the Structure of Active Voice - In active voice, the subject performs the action, making sentences punchy and clear. For example, "The cat chased the mouse" shows who does what right away, so your reader never gets lost. Get into the habit of spotting active constructions and watch your writing supercharge its clarity.
  2. Recognize the Structure of Passive Voice - Passive voice flips the script: the subject is acted upon rather than doing the action. You'll often see a form of "to be" plus a past participle (was eaten, is painted) and sometimes a "by" phrase. While it can sound more formal, knowing how it works helps you choose the strongest voice.
  3. Identify Clues for Passive Voice - Keep an eye out for "was," "were," "is," "are" followed by a past participle (written, built, played) and for sneaky "by" phrases naming an agent. These are your red flags that the sentence might be hiding the actor. Spotting these clues is like giving your inner writing detective a magnifying glass!
  4. Practice Converting Passive to Active Voice - Turn "The cake was baked by Mary" into "Mary baked the cake" to make your sentences more energetic and concise. This simple swap brings the actor to center stage and tightens up your prose. Regular drills like this boost your writing stamina in no time.
  5. Know When to Use Passive Voice - Passive voice isn't a villain - it shines when the actor is unknown, unimportant, or you want to spotlight the action itself. Sentences like "The experiment was conducted successfully" focus on results over researchers. Mastering this balance is your passport to versatile writing.
  6. Understand the Impact on Clarity and Conciseness - Generally, active voice serves clarity and brevity, while passive constructions can feel longer and blur the action. Compare "The team won the game" with "The game was won by the team" and feel the difference in energy. Choosing active voice is like swapping a dull bulb for a bright spotlight on your ideas.
  7. Recognize Passive Voice in Scientific Writing - Scientists often lean on passive voice to keep the focus on procedures or findings rather than personalities. Sentences such as "The solution was heated to 100°C" emphasize the method, not the researcher. Knowing this convention helps you read and write research like a pro.
  8. Be Aware of Passive Voice in News Reporting - Journalists sometimes use passive voice when the actor is unknown or to highlight the event. Headlines like "A new policy was implemented yesterday" focus the reader's attention on what happened. Spotting this choice can give you insight into how stories are framed.
  9. Use Active Voice for Stronger Writing - In persuasive and narrative pieces, active voice brings action and personality to the forefront. "She completed the project ahead of schedule" hits harder than its passive alternative. Lean on active constructions to keep your audience hooked and convinced.
  10. Practice Identifying and Revising Voice - Turn voice-spotting into a daily workout: find passive sentences in articles and rewrite them actively. Changing "The meeting was scheduled by the manager" to "The manager scheduled the meeting" sharpens your editing skills. With regular practice, your writing will become more dynamic and reader-friendly.
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