Select the option which best expresses the same sentence in passive voice:
We must endure what we cannot cure.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → What cannot be cured must be endured.
Passive voice with modals:
| Change | Active | Passive | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Object becomes subject | what we cannot cure | What cannot be cured | The object clause “what we cannot cure” becomes the subject: “What cannot be cured”. |
| Tense kept | must endure, cannot cure | must be endured, cannot be cured | The pattern is modal + be + past participle. The modal itself does not change. The sentence has two verbs: “must endure” (main clause) becomes must be endured, and “cannot cure” (in “what we cannot cure”) becomes cannot be cured. |
| Agent (by ...) | We | – (dropped) | The doer “we” means people in general, so it is dropped (no “by us”). |
| Full sentence | We must endure what we cannot cure. | What cannot be cured must be endured. |
Example: We must finish the work today. → The work must be finished today.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: What we cure must be endured. — Incorrect.
- The clause "we cure" is still active.
- "Cannot" has been dropped, which changes the meaning.
Option 2: What could be cured must be endured. — Incorrect. "Could" replaces "cannot", which reverses the meaning: it now says that what can be cured must be endured.
Option 3: What cannot cured must endured. — Incorrect. The passive needs "be" before the past participle: "cannot be cured", "must be endured".