Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.
People believe that the old banyan tree near the panchayat office survived three major floods.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The old banyan tree near the panchayat office is believed to have survived three major floods.
Passive of “People believe that ...” about a past event:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| New subject | the old banyan tree near the panchayat office | The old banyan tree near the panchayat office | The belief is about the tree, so the tree becomes the subject of the whole sentence. |
| Tense kept | believe | is believed | “Believe” is in the simple present, so the passive stays in the simple present: is + past participle (V3). “Is” because the tree is one. |
| Past event: to have + V3 | survived | to have survived | “Survived” happened before the time of believing. So it becomes to have + V3. |
| Agent (by ...) | People | (left out) | “People” does not tell us who the doer is. So “by people” is dropped. |
| Full sentence | People believe that the old banyan tree near the panchayat office survived three major floods. | The old banyan tree near the panchayat office is believed to have survived three major floods. |
Other verbs like report, know and think work the same way. The sentence can also begin with “It is believed that ...”. Example: People report that the thief escaped through the back door. → The thief is reported to have escaped through the back door.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: It was believed that the old banyan tree near the panchayat office survived three major floods. — Incorrect. “Was believed” is the simple past. The active “believe” is in the simple present, so it should be “It is believed”.
Option 3: The old banyan tree near the panchayat office is believed to survive three major floods. — Incorrect. “To survive” talks of now or later. The floods are past events, so the sentence needs “to have survived”.
Option 4: The old banyan tree near the panchayat office is believed to have been survived three major floods. — Incorrect. The word “been” makes “survived” passive. But the tree is the one that survived the floods, so no “been” is needed.