Choose the correct passive form of the given sentence:
A local potter makes these clay lamps every Diwali.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → These clay lamps are made by a local potter every Diwali.
Passive of the simple present:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | these clay lamps | These clay lamps | The clay lamps receive the action, so they become the subject. |
| Tense kept | makes | are made | “Makes” is in the simple present, so the passive stays in the simple present: is / are + past participle (V3). “Are” because the lamps are many, though “makes” went with one potter. |
| Agent (by ...) | A local potter | by a local potter | The potter is named, so the doer comes after “by”. |
| Full sentence | A local potter makes these clay lamps every Diwali. | These clay lamps are made by a local potter every Diwali. |
Other simple present verbs work the same way: grows → is / are grown, sells → is / are sold. Example: Our school bus picks up the children at seven. → The children are picked up by our school bus at seven.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: These clay lamps is made by a local potter every Diwali. — Incorrect. “Is” goes with one thing. The new subject “these clay lamps” is plural, so it needs “are”.
Option 2: These clay lamps were made by a local potter every Diwali. — Incorrect. “Were made” is the simple past. The active “makes” is the simple present.
Option 4: These clay lamps are being made by a local potter every Diwali. — Incorrect. “Are being made” is the present continuous. The active is “makes”, not “is making”.