Choose the most appropriate passive construction of the given sentence:
The students of Class 11 elected Fatima class representative.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Fatima was elected class representative by the students of Class 11.
Passive of a verb with an object and a word telling what the person becomes (simple past):
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | Fatima | Fatima | Fatima receives the action, so she becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | elected | was elected | “Elected” is in the simple past, so the passive stays in the simple past: was / were + past participle (V3). “Was” because Fatima is one person. |
| “Class representative” kept after the verb | class representative | class representative (after “was elected”) | “Class representative” tells what Fatima became. It is not the object, so it stays right after “was elected”. |
| Agent (by ...) | The students of Class 11 | by the students of Class 11 | The students are named, so the doer comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | The students of Class 11 elected Fatima class representative. | Fatima was elected class representative by the students of Class 11. |
Other verbs like this (make, appoint, name, call) work the same way. Example: The club made Rohan its secretary. → Rohan was made secretary by the club.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Class representative was elected Fatima by the students of Class 11. — Incorrect. “Class representative” tells what Fatima became. It is not the object. Fatima, the person elected, must be the subject.
Option 2: The students of Class 11 were elected class representative by Fatima. — Incorrect. It reverses who does what: now Fatima elects the students.
Option 3: Fatima has been elected class representative by the students of Class 11. — Incorrect. “Has been elected” is the present perfect. The active “elected” is the simple past.