Select the correct Passive form of the given sentence.
Why did you not tell your name immediately?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Why was your name not told by you immediately?
Passive of a question in the simple past:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | your name (object) | your name (subject) | “Your name” takes the place of “you”. |
| Tense kept | did ... tell | was ... told | “Did ... tell” (simple past) becomes was ... told. “Was” comes before the subject, as in any question, and “not” follows the subject. |
| Agent (by ...) | you | by you | “You” becomes by you. |
| Full sentence | Why did you not tell your name immediately? | Why was your name not told by you immediately? |
Why stays at the front.
Example: Why did he not post the letter? → Why was the letter not posted by him?
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Why did your name not told immediately? — Incorrect. The passive needs "was", not "did", with "told". "Did ... told" is ungrammatical.
Option 2: Why had your name not been told immediately? — Incorrect. "Had been told" is the past perfect. The active sentence is in the simple past.
Option 4: Why had your name not been told by you immediately? — Incorrect. It adds the agent but keeps the wrong tense, the past perfect.