Choose the most appropriate option which best expresses the same sentence in Passive/Active Voice?

The news surprised us.

We were surprised by the news

The correct answer is Option (2) - We were surprised by the news

To convert the sentence from active voice to passive voice, the following rules apply:

1. Identify the object of the active sentence ("us") and make it the subject of the passive sentence ("we").
2. Change the verb "surprised" to its passive form, which requires the appropriate form of "to be" (in this case, "were") + past participle ("surprised").
3. Retain the original subject of the active sentence ("the news") in the passive sentence, introduced with "by."
4. So, the answer is We were surprised by the news

 Other Options

1. "We are surprised at the news": Incorrect because it uses the present tense ("are"), whereas the original sentence is in the past tense.
2. "We were surprised at the news": Incorrect preposition ("at" should be "by" to maintain standard usage for passive voice with "surprised").
3. "We are surprised by the news": Incorrect because it uses the present tense ("are"), not the past tense.