Identify the correct Passive Voice form of the following sentence from the options given.
The committee took up the next item for discussion.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → The next item was taken up for discussion by the committee.
Active to passive voice (simple past):
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | the next item | The next item | “The next item” moves to the front. |
| Tense kept | took up | was taken up | Be + past participle, in the same tense: simple past “took up” becomes “was taken up” (the particle “up” stays with the verb). |
| Agent (by ...) | The committee | by the committee | The doer goes to the end as “by the committee”. |
| Full sentence | The committee took up the next item for discussion. | The next item was taken up for discussion by the committee. |
Example: The question was taken up by the council.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The next item is taken up by the committee for discussion. — Incorrect. "Is taken up" is the simple present. The active sentence is in the past.
Option 3: The next item was took up for discussion. — Incorrect.
- The passive needs the past participle "taken", not the past form "took".
- The agent "by the committee" is lost.
Option 4: The committee was to take up the next item for discussion. — Incorrect. It is still active, and "was to take up" speaks of a plan, not of what was done.