Which of the following options is the most suitable conversion of the following sentence into active voice?
Have the sculptures been installed by the curators in the newly established museum wing?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Correct Answer
Have the curators installed the sculptures in the newly established museum wing?
Explanation
The original sentence is an interrogative (question) sentence in the passive voice, framed in the present perfect tense ("Have... been installed"). When converting a passive sentence back into the active voice, the tense must remain exactly the same. The formula for an interrogative present perfect active sentence is:
The agent performing the action in the passive sentence is "the curators." Since "the curators" is a plural subject, it takes the plural auxiliary verb "Have." This gives us: "Have the curators installed the sculptures...?"
Option 1 shifts the sentence into the simple past tense ("Did... install"). Option 2 uses the wrong auxiliary verb "Has" with the plural subject "the curators." Option 3 changes the sentence into the future tense ("Will... install").
Key Points
When dealing with question transformations, treat the subject-verb agreement as your final filter. Even if you correctly recognize that a sentence needs to be in the present perfect tense, always double-check whether your new active subject is singular or plural so you can select the correct matching auxiliary verb.