Q. Which of the following is the correct passive form of the following?
“Who has cut the tree?”
(A) By whom has the tree been cut?
(B) By whom was the tree cut by?
(C) Who has the tree been cut?
(D) By whom was the tree cut?
Question from UPPSC Prelims CSAT 2024
The correct answer is: (A) By whom has the tree been cut?
Explanation:
To convert an active voice question into passive voice, the following steps are followed:
1. Identify the object in the active sentence: In the given sentence, “the tree” is the object.
2. Bring the object to the beginning of the sentence: In the passive voice, “the tree” becomes the subject.
3. Use the correct form of the verb “to be”: Since the active sentence uses the present perfect tense (“has cut”), the passive voice will use “has been” + past participle of the verb.
4. Rephrase the question: The question word “Who” changes to “By whom” in the passive voice.
Thus, “Who has cut the tree?” becomes “By whom has the tree been cut?”
Why other options are incorrect:
– (B) By whom was the tree cut by?: This is grammatically incorrect because “by” is repeated unnecessarily.
– (C) Who has the tree been cut?: This is grammatically incorrect and does not follow proper sentence structure.
– (D) By whom was the tree cut?: This uses the past tense (“was”) instead of the present perfect tense (“has been”), so it does not match the original sentence.
Hence, the correct answer is (A).
