Active and passive voice

Grade 8 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Four sentences about a fire drill. Bo reads a school notice. Which sentence is in the passive voice?

   • The class lined up by the door before the drill began.
   • The fire drill has been scheduled for Tuesday morning.
   • The principal was scheduling the drill when the bell rang.
   • The halls are calm and quiet in the morning.
2. 2.

   Four sentences about an old bridge. Esme reads a town report. Which sentence is in the passive voice?

   • The town council repaired the old bridge before the spring floods.
   • The old bridge must be repaired before the spring floods.
   • Workers were repairing the old bridge before the spring floods.
   • The old bridge is narrow and slippery before the spring floods.
3. 3.

   Four sentences about a new mural. Jun reads a club newsletter. Which sentence is in the passive voice?

   • The mural looks bright and cheerful on the wall.
   • The mural will be unveiled by the art club on Friday.
   • The art club is painting the mural this week.
   • The art club painted the mural beside the gym doors.
4. 4.

   The championship was won by the Eastgate swim team after a tight relay. Kira reads a passive sentence from a sports page. Who or what did the winning?

   • the championship
   • the sentence does not say
   • the tight relay
   • the Eastgate swim team
5. 5.

   The window was cracked by a baseball during practice, according to the coach. Luz reads a passive sentence from a coach's report. Who or what cracked the window?

   • a baseball
   • the sentence does not say
   • the coach
   • the window
6. 6.

   The permission slips were collected by Ms. Reyes before the bus left. Milo reads a passive sentence from a field-trip note. Who collected the permission slips?

   • the principal
   • the permission slips
   • the bus
   • Ms. Reyes
7. 7.

   The lights in the hall were switched off after the assembly. Noah reads a passive sentence from an assembly report. Who switched off the lights?

   • the assembly
   • the lights
   • the custodian
   • the sentence does not say
8. 8.

   The new rule has been approved by the student council. Pia turns a passive sentence into an active one. Which active sentence says the same thing?

   • The new rule has been approved by the whole student council.
   • The student council approved the new rule.
   • The new rule has approved the student council.
   • The student council has approved the new rule.
9. 9.

   The experiment will be repeated by two lab groups. Ren turns a passive sentence into an active one. Which active sentence says the same thing?

   • Two lab groups repeat the experiment.
   • Two lab groups will repeat the experiment.
   • The experiment will repeat two lab groups.
   • The experiment will be repeated by two lab groups next week.
10. 10.

    The goalpost was knocked over by a strong gust of wind. Tala turns a passive sentence into an active one. Which active sentence says the same thing?

    • A strong gust of wind knocked over the goalpost.
    • The goalpost knocked over a strong gust of wind.
    • The goalpost was knocked over by a strong gust of wind late on Tuesday.
    • A strong gust of wind knocks over the goalpost.