Which of the following options is the most suitable conversion of the following sentence into Passive Voice?
Were the students conducting experiments in the lab this morning?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer
Were experiments being conducted by the students in the lab this morning?
Explanation
The given sentence is an interrogative sentence in the Past Continuous Tense. To change it into the passive voice, the object "experiments" becomes the subject, and the passive structure "were + being + past participle" is used. The auxiliary verb "were" agrees with the plural subject "experiments," and the agent is introduced with "by the students."
The other options are incorrect. "Was experiments being conducted..." has incorrect subject-verb agreement. "Are experiments being conducted..." changes the tense to the Present Continuous. "Were experiments conducted..." changes the tense from Past Continuous to Simple Past.
Key Point
For interrogative sentences in the Past Continuous Tense, the passive voice follows the structure: Was/Were + subject + being + past participle (V³) + by + agent? This structure preserves both the tense and the interrogative form of the original sentence.