Directions: Select the correct passive form of the given sentence. The police…
2025
Directions: Select the correct passive form of the given sentence.
The police beat a number of protestors last night.
- A.
A number of protestors had been beaten by the police last night.
- B.
A number of protestors were being beaten by the police last night.
- C.
A number of protestors has been beaten by the police the night before.
- D.
A number of protestors were beaten by the police last night.
Attempted by 33 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Key idea: convert a past simple active sentence to past simple passive using 'were + past participle' for plural subjects.
Original sentence: The police beat a number of protestors last night.
Step 1: Identify subject and object. Subject = The police (plural). Object = a number of protestors (treated as plural for verb agreement).
Step 2: To make the passive, make the object the subject and use the past simple passive form: 'were' + past participle.
Resulting passive sentence: A number of protestors were beaten by the police last night.
Explanation: 'A number of protestors' takes a plural verb, so use 'were' + 'beaten'. The sentence correctly preserves the time reference 'last night' and converts the active past simple into the past simple passive.