Identify the correct Passive Voice form of the following sentence:
Do machines make these articles?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → Are these articles made by the machines?
Passive of a question (simple present):
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | these articles | these articles | “These articles” becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | Do ... make | Are ... made | “Do ... make” (simple present) becomes “am/is/are + past participle”. The plural subject takes “are”, and “make” becomes “made”. |
| Question order | Do machines | Are these articles | The helping verb “are” comes before the subject. |
| Agent (by ...) | machines | by the machines | The doer comes last: “by the machines”. |
| Full sentence | Do machines make these articles? | Are these articles made by the machines? |
Example: Does she write these letters? → Are these letters written by her?
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: Were these articles made by the machines ? — Incorrect. "Were" is the past tense. The active question is in the present.
Option 2: The machines can't make these articles. — Incorrect. It is an active, negative statement, not a passive question.
Option 3: Do you know that the machines had these articles ? — Incorrect. It adds new words and changes the meaning. It is not a passive form.