Question

Who wrote Abhijnana Shakuntalam? (Change the voice)

• A. Abhijnana Shakuntalam was written by whom? \
• B. By whom has Abhijnana Shakuntalam been written? \
• C. By whom was Abhijnana Shakuntalam written? \
• D. By whom is Abhijnana Shakuntalam written?

Hint:

For questions beginning with “Who”, remember the common passive pattern: [ By whom + auxiliary verb + subject + V_3 ] Always preserve the tense of the original sentence while changing the voice.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: This question tests the rules of changing an interrogative sentence from active voice to passive voice. While converting voice, the tense of the sentence must remain unchanged, and the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. For interrogative sentences beginning with the word ‘Who”, the passive construction generally begins with ‘By whom”. The original sentence is: [ Who wrote Abhijnana Shakuntalam? ] The verb “wrote” is in the Simple Past Tense. The passive structure for a Simple Past interrogative sentence is: [ By whom + was/were + Object + V_3 ; ? ]

Step 1: Identifying the components of the active sentence.
• Subject : Who
• Verb : wrote
• Object : Abhijnana Shakuntalam The object is singular, so the auxiliary verb used in passive voice will be “was.”

Step 2: Examining each option carefully.
• Abhijnana Shakuntalam was written by whom? Although grammatically understandable, standard examination grammar prefers beginning the passive interrogative with “By whom.” Hence, this is not the best answer.
• By whom has Abhijnana Shakuntalam been written? This changes the tense from Simple Past to Present Perfect Passive. Therefore, it is incorrect.
• By whom was Abhijnana Shakuntalam written? This follows the exact passive structure of the original sentence while preserving the Simple Past Tense. Hence, this is the correct answer.
• By whom is Abhijnana Shakuntalam written? This changes the tense to Simple Present Passive. Therefore, it is incorrect.

Step 3: Writing the final passive sentence. Applying the rules of voice transformation gives: [ By whom was Abhijnana Shakuntalam written? ]