Select the appropriate option to convert the following into active voice.
"Why was such a letter written by your brother ?"
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Why did your brother write such a letter?
Passive to active (simple past question):
| Change | Passive | Active | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent (by ...) becomes subject | by your brother | your brother | The agent, “your brother”, becomes the subject. |
| Subject becomes object | such a letter | such a letter | “Such a letter” becomes the object. |
| Tense kept | was written | did ... write | Was + past participle (simple past passive) becomes the simple past. In a question it is formed with did + base form: “did” comes before the subject, and the main verb takes the base form: “write”, not “wrote”. |
| Full sentence | Why was such a letter written by your brother? | Why did your brother write such a letter? |
The question word Why stays at the start.
Example: Why was the window broken by the boy? → Why did the boy break the window?
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Why has such letter been written by your brother? — Incorrect.
- It is still passive, and the tense changes to the present perfect.
- The article in "such a letter" is dropped.
Option 2: Why did your brother wrote such a letter? — Incorrect. After did the verb takes the base form. "Did ... wrote" marks the past twice.
Option 4: Why was such a letter being written by your brother? — Incorrect. It is still passive, and "being written" changes the simple past into the past continuous.