Change the Voice of the following sentence from Passive to Active:
"A king may be looked at by a cat."
Choose the correct option:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → A cat may look at a king.
Passive with a modal to active voice:
| Change | Passive | Active | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent (by ...) becomes subject | by a cat | A cat | The agent after “by” (“a cat”) becomes the subject. |
| Tense kept | may be looked at | may look at | The modal stays the same, and be + past participle becomes the base verb. The preposition of the phrasal verb (“at”) stays with the verb. |
| Subject becomes object | A king | a king | The subject of the passive (“a king”) becomes the object. |
| Full sentence | A king may be looked at by a cat. | A cat may look at a king. |
Example: The letter must be posted by you. → You must post the letter.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: The cat must look at the king. — Incorrect. "must" (obligation) replaces "may" (permission), and "the" changes the general "a cat ... a king".
Option 2: A cat looks at a king. — Incorrect. The modal "may" is lost. The sentence becomes a plain present statement.
Option 3: May a king be looked at by a cat. — Incorrect. This is still passive, now turned into a question form.