Active and Passive Voice Practice Test (Advanced): 45 Questions

Q1I really need to ___ by a professional before the wedding.

Answer: D. have my suit cleaned

This requires a passive causative construction—used when one person arranges for another to perform a service. The structure is [have + object + past participle]. 'Have my suit cleaned' fits this perfectly. 'Have cleaned my suit' is an active perfect infinitive, which would mean the speaker does the cleaning. 'Get cleaned my suit' has incorrect word order; the object 'suit' must precede the participle 'cleaned'. 'Have my suit cleaning' uses a present participle, which incorrectly implies the suit is performing the action.

Q2She was so upset because she ___ while she was on vacation.

Answer: D. had her car stolen

The causative structure [have/get + object + past participle] is used not only for services but also for experiences, specifically misfortunes. 'Had her car stolen' describes an event where her property was taken. 'Had stolen her car' is active past perfect, suggesting the woman stole her own car. 'Had been stolen her car' is ungrammatical; the verb 'stolen' cannot take a direct object in this passive configuration. 'Got her car stealing' is incorrect as it uses a present participle, suggesting the car was in the act of theft.

Q3By the time the boss arrived, I ___ the report myself.

Answer: A. had written

The reflexive pronoun 'myself' emphasizes personal agency, requiring the active past perfect 'had written'. The causative 'had the report written' would imply the speaker arranged for someone else to do it, which contradicts 'myself'. 'Got written the report' is syntactically incorrect as 'get' requires the object before the past participle in causative structures. 'Had had written' contains a redundant auxiliary that does not fit standard past perfect usage.

Q4The manager is determined to ___ before the audit starts.

Answer: B. get the system fixed

The causative 'get' follows the structure [get + object + past participle]. 'Get the system fixed' correctly indicates that the manager will arrange for someone else to repair the system. 'Get the system fix' is incorrect because 'get' requires a 'to-infinitive' for an active agent (get someone to fix) or a past participle for a passive result. 'Have the system fixing' uses a present participle, implying the system is doing the work. 'Get fixed the system' violates English word order for object complements.

Q5I ___ to fix the leaking tap, but it still drips.

Answer: D. got the plumber to come

In active causative constructions involving an agent, 'get' requires a 'to-infinitive' ([get + person + to do something]). Thus, 'got the plumber to come' is correct. This contrasts with 'have', which takes a bare infinitive ([have + person + do something]). 'Got the plumber come' is incorrect because it lacks the 'to' particle. 'Had the plumber coming' suggests a continuous arrangement or expectation, and 'had come the plumber' is an archaic subject-verb inversion that does not function as a causative.

Q6Which sentence is correct?

Answer: C. I had my hair cut yesterday.

The standard passive causative is [have + object + past participle]. In 'I had my hair cut', 'cut' functions as the past participle. 'I had my hair cutting' uses a present participle, which would mean the hair was performing the cutting. 'I had my hair being cut' is an unnecessary progressive form that is not used in simple causative statements of completed actions. 'I had been cut my hair' is a confused passive construction where the subject 'I' is treated as the thing being cut, which is semantically incorrect.

Q7Which of the following is the CORRECT version of the sentence: She had repaired her laptop by the technician.?

Answer: A. She had her laptop repaired by the technician.

To express that a service was performed by another person, the causative [have + object + past participle] must be used. 'She had her laptop repaired' correctly places the object 'laptop' before the participle 'repaired'. 'She had repaired her laptop' ('She had repaired her laptop by t...') is active past perfect, suggesting she did it herself. 'She had her laptop repairing' uses a present participle, and 'She had been repaired her laptop' is ungrammatical as it treats the subject 'She' as the item being fixed.

Q8We ___ last week to ensure the house was ready for guests.

Answer: C. had the house painted

The phrase 'had the house painted' uses the [have + object + past participle] causative, signifying that the work was done by professionals. 'Had painted the house' is the active past perfect, indicating the speakers did the work themselves. 'Got painted the house' is syntactically invalid because the object must come between 'got' and the participle. 'Had the house painting' incorrectly employs a present participle, suggesting the house was the agent performing the painting.

Q9I finally ___ yesterday after trying for weeks.

Answer: D. had my visa approved

The causative [have + object + past participle] is used for results obtained through official channels. 'Had my visa approved' correctly uses the past participle. 'Had approved my visa' is active voice, which would imply the speaker approved their own visa. 'Had my visa approving' and 'got my visa approving' both use the present participle, which is semantically incorrect as the visa is the patient (the thing being approved), not the agent performing the approval.

Q10Which of the following is the CORRECT version of the sentence: He had stolen his wallet on the subway.?

Answer: A. He had his wallet stolen on the subway.

The structure [have + object + past participle] is used to describe a misfortune where something happens to the subject's property. 'He had his wallet stolen' is the standard way to express this. 'He had stolen his wallet' implies he was the thief of his own property. 'He had been stolen his wallet' is grammatically incorrect because 'stolen' is a transitive verb that requires a direct object; in a passive sentence with 'He' as the subject, the object 'wallet' cannot follow directly in this manner.

Q11The CEO decided to ___ by an external agency.

Answer: A. have the strategy evaluated

The construction follows 'decided to', requiring an infinitive form. 'Have the strategy evaluated' correctly uses the [have + object + past participle] causative. 'Have the strategy evaluate' incorrectly uses a bare infinitive; the object 'strategy' cannot perform the evaluation. 'Had the strategy evaluated' uses a past tense form that cannot follow 'to'. 'Get the strategy evaluating' uses a present participle, which implies the strategy itself is evaluating something.

Q12Which sentence is correct?

Answer: A. I need to get my watch repaired.

The causative 'get' requires the object to precede the past participle: [get + object + past participle]. 'Get my watch repaired' is correct. 'Get repaired my watch' and 'have repaired my watch' both fail because they use an active-style word order for a causative meaning. 'Have my watch repairing' is incorrect because the present participle 'repairing' implies the watch is the one performing the action.

Q13Since I am not a mechanic, I ___ at the local garage.

Answer: C. had my car serviced

The context 'since I am not a mechanic' necessitates a causative construction where someone else performs the work. 'Had my car serviced' ([have + object + past participle]) is correct. 'Had serviced my car' is active past perfect, suggesting the speaker did the work. 'Got serviced my car' has incorrect word order, and 'got my car servicing' uses a present participle, which is semantically nonsensical here.

Q14She ___ by a professional photographer for her portfolio.

Answer: B. had her photos taken

The causative structure [have + object + past participle] is the standard choice for professional services. 'Had her photos taken' is correct. 'Had taken her photos' is active past perfect, suggesting she took them herself. 'Had her photos taking' uses the present participle incorrectly, and 'got taken her photos' uses incorrect word order where the object must separate 'got' and the participle.

Q15Which of the following is the CORRECT version of the sentence: They had their roof replace after the storm.?

Answer: A. They had their roof replaced after the storm.

The causative construction [have + object + past participle] requires the past participle 'replaced' to describe the state of the roof. 'Replace' is a bare infinitive, and 'replacing' is a present participle, neither of which provides the passive meaning required. 'They had been replaced their roof' is ungrammatical as it suggests 'they' were the entities being replaced by someone else.

Q16It ___ that the company will merge with a larger competitor.

Answer: C. is reported

This is an impersonal passive construction—a formal way to report information using 'it' as a dummy subject. The structure is [It + be + past participle + that-clause]. 'Is reported' fits this frame. 'Reports' and 'is reporting' are active and require a human or institutional subject. 'Is reported to' belongs to a personal passive construction (e.g., 'The company is reported to be merging') and cannot be followed by a 'that' clause.

Q17The suspect ___ to have fled the country.

Answer: C. is believed

This is a personal passive construction, where the subject of the sentence is the subject of the report. The reporting verb 'believe' must be in the passive voice ('is believed') to be followed by the perfect infinitive 'to have fled'. 'Believes', 'is believing', and 'has believed' are all active forms that would require 'the suspect' to be the person who holds the belief about someone else's flight.

Q18It ___ that the new policy has improved productivity.

Answer: B. is widely claimed

This requires an impersonal passive: [It + be + past participle + that-clause]. 'Is widely claimed' correctly utilizes the passive voice to report a general belief. 'Is widely claiming' and 'widely claims' are active forms and would need a specific agent as a subject. 'Is widely claim' is ungrammatical because the passive auxiliary 'is' must be followed by a past participle ('claimed').

Q19The witness ___ to be hiding in the countryside.

Answer: B. is known

A personal passive construction follows the pattern [subject + passive verb + to-infinitive]. 'Is known' allows the 'to be hiding' complement. 'Knows' and 'is knowing' are active and would imply the witness has knowledge, rather than being the subject of others' knowledge. 'Is known that' is a grammatical error; the 'that' clause can only follow the impersonal 'It is known...' construction.

Q20Which sentence is correct?

Answer: A. It is thought that he left.

The impersonal passive uses a dummy 'it' subject followed by a passive reporting verb and a 'that' clause. 'It is thought that he left' is perfectly formed. 'It is thought he leaving' lacks a finite verb in the subordinate clause. 'It is thought him to leave' incorrectly tries to use an object with an infinitive after an impersonal passive; the personal passive version would be 'He is thought to have left'.

Q21The outcome of the election ___ to have been influenced by social media.

Answer: B. is alleged

This is a personal passive structure. The subject 'The outcome' is the target of the allegation, so the passive 'is alleged' is required to link it with the perfect passive infinitive 'to have been influenced'. 'Alleges', 'has alleged', and 'is alleging' are active forms that would incorrectly attribute the act of alleging to the 'outcome' itself.

Q22Which of the following is the CORRECT version of the sentence: It is said that the bridge is to be demolish next month.?

Answer: D. It is said that the bridge is to be demolished next month.

The sentence uses a passive infinitive within a 'be + to' structure (used for scheduled future events). A passive infinitive requires [to be + past participle], making 'to be demolished' correct. 'To be demolish' is ungrammatical; 'to be demolishing' is an active progressive infinitive; and 'to demolish' is a simple active infinitive, which would mean the bridge is doing the demolishing.

Q23The project ___ to be completed by the end of the year.

Answer: C. is expected

In this personal passive construction, 'the project' is the subject of the expectation. The passive voice 'is expected' must be used to allow the following 'to-infinitive'. The active forms ('expects', 'has expected', 'is expecting') would suggest the project itself is capable of expecting something.

Q24It ___ that the fire started in the basement.

Answer: D. is rumored

The impersonal passive structure is [It + passive reporting verb + that-clause]. 'Is rumored' fits this frame perfectly. 'Is thought to' is used in personal passive constructions (e.g., 'The fire is thought to...') and cannot be followed by a 'that'-clause. 'Thinks' and 'is thinking' are active verbs requiring a sentient subject.

Q25The CEO ___ to have resigned due to health issues.

Answer: D. is reported

This is a personal passive construction where the reporting verb ('report') refers to the subject. The passive 'is reported' links the subject to the perfect infinitive 'to have resigned'. The active forms ('reports', 'has reported', 'is reporting') would imply the CEO is currently reporting on another person's resignation.

Q26Which sentence is correct?

Answer: A. He is known to be a genius.

The personal passive follows the structure [subject + passive verb + to-infinitive]. 'He is known to be a genius' correctly uses the simple infinitive. 'He is known to being' is a common error using a gerund after 'to'. 'He is known be' misses the 'to' particle. 'He is known that he is a genius' is syntactically invalid because a 'that'-clause requires the dummy subject 'it' (It is known that...).

Q27It ___ that the rare species has become extinct.

Answer: D. is feared

The impersonal passive [It + passive verb + that-clause] reports a general feeling or concern. 'Is feared' is the correct passive form. 'Fears' and 'is fearing' are active and require a subject capable of feeling fear. 'Is feared to' is the start of a personal passive (e.g., 'The species is feared to have become extinct') and cannot take a 'that'-clause.

Q28Which of the following is the CORRECT version of the sentence: The results are expected that they will be published tomorrow.?

Answer: B. The results are expected to be published tomorrow.

When a sentence starts with the specific subject of the report (personal passive), it must be followed by an infinitive, not a 'that'-clause. 'The results are expected to be published' is the correct personal passive. A 'that'-clause would require the impersonal 'It is expected that the results will be published'. 'To publish' is an active infinitive and would imply the results are publishing something else.

Q29The missing artifact ___ to be in the museum's basement.

Answer: B. is believed

In a personal passive structure, the subject 'the missing artifact' is the object of the belief, necessitating the passive voice 'is believed'. The active forms ('believes', 'has believed', 'is believing') would attribute the act of believing to the inanimate artifact itself.

Q30It ___ that the merger will benefit both companies.

Answer: B. is predicted

The impersonal passive [It + passive verb + that-clause] is used for formal predictions. 'Is predicted' is the required passive form. 'Predicts' and 'is predicting' are active and require a subject that can make a prediction. 'Is predicted to' belongs to the personal passive structure and is incompatible with a 'that'-clause.

Q31The data ___ using advanced statistical models.

Answer: D. were analyzed

In formal academic writing, 'data' is often treated as a plural noun (singular: datum), thus 'were analyzed' is the standard plural past passive. 'Analyzed' and 'has analyzed' are active forms that imply the data performed the analysis. 'Were analyzing' is past continuous active, which is also semantically incorrect.

Q32In the meeting, it was decided that ___ to reduce costs.

Answer: B. the budget would be cut

After the impersonal passive 'it was decided that', we need a full clause. 'The budget would be cut' provides a future-in-the-past passive clause suitable for formal register. 'The budget to be cut' is a non-finite fragment. 'The budget would cut' is active and illogical — a budget cannot perform the action of cutting. 'The budget has cut' is also active and nonsensical.

Q33Mistakes ___, but we have corrected them.

Answer: C. were made

The passive voice 'were made' is frequently used in formal or political contexts to describe actions while avoiding the naming of a specific agent (the 'non-apology' passive). 'Made' and 'have made' are active and require a subject (e.g., 'We made...'). 'Were making' is active past continuous and also requires a subject.

Q34Which sentence is most suitable for an academic paper?

Answer: C. The participants were interviewed.

Academic style favors objectivity and focus on the research process. The passive 'The participants were interviewed' emphasizes the research objects rather than the researchers ('We'). 'Interviewing the participants was done' is wordy and unnatural. 'The participants we interviewed' is a noun phrase, not a complete sentence.

Q35The final results ___ in the appendix.

Answer: C. are presented

The passive 'are presented' is used to describe the location or state of information within a document. 'Present' and 'have presented' are active and would require 'the results' to be an agent. 'Are presenting' is present continuous active, which would imply the results are currently acting as an agent of presentation.

Q36Which of the following is the CORRECT version of the sentence: The survey was conduct by the research team.?

Answer: C. The survey was conducted by the research team.

A passive construction in the past simple requires [was/were + past participle]. 'Conducted' is the correct past participle. 'Conduct' is a base form; 'conducting' is a present participle (creating an active continuous meaning); and 'was been conducted' is ungrammatical because it incorrectly combines two auxiliary forms.

Q37The decision ___ to restructure the entire department.

Answer: D. was taken

The noun 'decision' is the patient (the thing being taken). In formal English, the passive 'was taken' is the standard collocation. 'Took' and 'has taken' are active voice and require the 'decision' to be the agent. 'Was taking' is past continuous active and is also semantically incorrect here.

Q38The chemical samples ___ at room temperature.

Answer: C. were stored

In scientific reports, the passive 'were stored' is used to describe methodology where the experimenter is omitted. 'Stored', 'were storing', and 'have stored' are all active forms which would imply the 'samples' performed the action of storing themselves.

Q39Which of the following is the CORRECT version of the sentence: These conclusions were reached after the data was analyze.?

Answer: B. These conclusions were reached after the data was analyzed.

Passive constructions require [be + past participle]. 'Was analyzed' correctly provides the past participle. 'Was analyze' uses the base form; 'was analyzing' suggests the data performed an analysis; and 'has been analyze' incorrectly pairs a perfect auxiliary with a base form verb.

Q40The participants ___ into two distinct groups.

Answer: C. were divided

This is a standard methodological description. 'Were divided' is the passive voice, indicating the researchers performed the action. 'Divided' and 'have divided' are active, suggesting the participants acted on their own. 'Were dividing' is past continuous active and implies the participants were in the process of dividing something else.

Q41Which sentence is correct?

Answer: A. The report was written by the committee.

The passive voice requires [auxiliary be + past participle]. 'Was written' is correct. 'The report written' is a noun phrase with a reduced relative clause but lacks a finite verb to be a complete sentence. 'The report wrote' is active and nonsensical. 'The report was write' incorrectly uses the base form 'write' instead of the participle.

Q42The experiment ___ several times to ensure accuracy.

Answer: C. was repeated

The passive voice 'was repeated' describes a procedure where the agent is secondary. 'Repeated' and 'has repeated' are active forms that would suggest the experiment itself performed an action. 'Was repeating' is active past continuous.

Q43Which of the following is the CORRECT version of the sentence: The proposal was reject due to lack of funding.?

Answer: A. The proposal was rejected due to lack of funding.

Passives are formed using [be + past participle]. 'Was rejected' is correct. 'Was reject' uses the base form; 'was been rejected' is an ungrammatical mix of simple and perfect passive forms; and 'was rejecting' is active continuous.

Q44The findings ___ in the latest journal issue.

Answer: B. are published

The passive 'are published' describes the state or status of the findings. 'Publish' and 'have published' are active forms requiring a subject like 'the researchers'. 'Are publishing' is present continuous active, suggesting the findings are currently performing the act of publishing.

Q45The error ___ during the final review process.

Answer: D. was identified

The passive 'was identified' focuses on the discovery of the error. 'Identified' and 'has identified' are active voice and require a subject (e.g., 'the reviewer'). 'Was identifying' is active past continuous and does not fit the semantic requirement of the sentence.

Active and Passive Voice Practice Test — Advanced

What this test covers

All 45 questions with answers