Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.
The secretary has planted a lot of saplings to save the environment.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. “A lot of saplings have been planted by the secretary to save the environment.”
The active sentence is:
“The secretary has planted a lot of saplings to save the environment.”
This uses the present perfect tense (“has planted”), indicating the action has already been completed with relevance to the present.
In passive voice, the structure for present perfect is:
Subject (original object) + have/has + been + past participle of verb + by + agent.
Here:
Subject: “A lot of saplings”
Auxiliary: “have been” (since 'saplings' is plural)
Past participle: “planted”
Agent: “by the secretary”
Purpose clause remains: “to save the environment”.
This forms:
“A lot of saplings have been planted by the secretary to save the environment.”
Why other options are incorrect:
Option 1: “are planted” uses present simple passive — wrong tense.
Option 3: “were planted” uses past simple passive — also wrong.
Option 4: “are being planted” suggests ongoing action — not correct because the original uses present perfect (completed action).