Select the option that best expresses the given sentence in the Passive Voice.
Respect the elders.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → The elders should be respected.
Passive voice of an imperative (advice):
"Respect the elders" is an imperative giving advice or a moral duty.
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | the elders | The elders | The elders become the subject. |
| Tense kept | Respect | should be respected | The advice stays advice for now and always, with should be + past participle: should be respected (or “Let the elders be respected”). |
| Full sentence | Respect the elders. | The elders should be respected. |
No agent (by ...), since the doer is everyone in general.
Example: Obey the traffic rules. → The traffic rules should be obeyed.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: The elders has to be respected. — Incorrect. The plural subject "elders" needs have, not "has". "The elders has" is a mistake of agreement.
Option 3: The elders were to be respected. — Incorrect. "Were to be" puts the duty in the past. The imperative gives advice for now and always.
Option 4: The elders had been respected. — Incorrect. This is a past perfect statement of something that happened. It is no longer advice or a command.
Note: In the original NTA paper, Option 2 read "The elders are to be respected". NTA accepted this option as a correct answer as well. To leave only one correct answer and avoid confusion for students, it has been changed here to "The elders has to be respected".
Advice for the exam: In the real exam, mark the answer that is grammatically or factually correct. If NTA’s provisional answer key marks a different option, challenge it during the answer-key challenge window and give the reason in one or two lines.