Choose the correct option which best expresses the following sentence in Active Voice:
He was appointed chairman.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → They appointed him chairman
Passive to active (simple past, agent not named):
| Change | Passive | Active | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent (by ...) becomes subject | – | They | No “by” agent is given, so a general subject such as they is supplied. |
| Tense kept | was appointed | appointed | “Was appointed” is the simple past passive. The active simple past is appointed. |
| Subject becomes object | He | him | He becomes him. |
| Full sentence | He was appointed chairman. | They appointed him chairman. |
"Chairman" stays as the complement.
Example: He was elected captain. → They elected him captain.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 2: You appointed him chairman — Incorrect. "You" names a particular person spoken to, who is not in the passive sentence. The unnamed doer is expressed by "they".
Option 3: He appointed chairman — Incorrect. It makes "he" the doer, which reverses the meaning, and leaves the verb without an object.
Option 4: Chairman appointed him — Incorrect. It says the chairman appointed him, which is a different meaning.