Read the passage and answer the questions:
The explanation of a work is always sought in the man or woman who produced it, as if it were always, in the end, through the voice of a single person that literature spoke: through the voice of a single person and the imprints of his or her passions. The image of literature that we seek to sustain is tyrannically centered on the author, his life, his history, and his intentions. But to give a text an Author is to impose a limit on that text, to furnish it with a final signified, to close the writing. Such a conception is born of the rationalist and capitalist ideologies that have placed the individual at the center of history, emphasizing his authority and coherence. Yet, in reality, writing is a destruction of every voice, of every point of origin. Writing begins at the moment the Author is set aside, and language speaks—not the Author.
To refuse the Author is not to refuse meaning, but to refuse the tyranny of a single, authoritative meaning. The text, instead, becomes a space of multiple interpretations, where meaning is neither fixed nor final. The unity of a text is not located in its origin but in its destination; it is the reader, not the Author, who gives meaning to a text. This radical displacement shifts the power from the creator to the interpreter, from the supposed intention of the writer to the infinite play of signifiers within the text itself.
Which sentence contains a correct use of the passive voice from the passage?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Correct Answer
The text is furnished with a final signified.
Explanation
To identify a grammatically correct passive voice sentence, look for the standard passive construction: Subject + form of "to be" + Past Participle (V3).
Analysis of the Correct Option: "The text is furnished..." uses the present tense form of "to be" (is) alongside the past participle of furnish (furnished). The subject ("the text") receives the action rather than performing it, which perfectly reflects the original passive phrase from the passage: "...to furnish it with a final signified..."
Analysis of Other Options: All other options ("The Author creates...", "Language speaks...", "Writing begins...") place the agent performing the action at the front of the clause, making them active voice constructions.
Key Points
Passive Voice Structure: Subject + is/am/are/was/were + V3 (past participle).
Exam Shortcut: Scan the options directly for a helping verb combined with a V3 action verb. Only the last option fits this grammatical profile.