8th Grade ELA Quiz: Form Active And Passive Voice

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Form Active And Passive Voice, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for 8th Grade ELA.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

Question 1

1. My backpack was stolen after practice. (correct answer)
2. My backpack had stolen someone after practice.
3. My backpack was stealing itself after practice.
4. My backpack got someone stealing after practice.

Explanation: Passive voice means the subject receives the action instead of performing it. To make "Someone stole my backpack" passive, move the object "my backpack" to the front as the new subject, then form the verb with a form of "be" plus the past participle: "was stolen." Since the agent ("someone") is unknown, you can leave it out. That gives "My backpack was stolen after practice"—the correct answer, because the backpack now receives the action in the same past tense as the original. The option ending "had stolen someone" is active, not passive, and reverses the meaning so the backpack does the stealing. The option "was stealing itself" uses the past continuous, not the passive, and illogically makes the backpack act on itself. The option "got someone stealing" is not a real passive construction and keeps "someone" as the doer, which the task told you to omit. Only "My backpack was stolen after practice" correctly uses be + past participle with the backpack as the receiver of the action.

Question 2

1. Jordan made the final shot at the buzzer. (correct answer)
2. Jordan makes the final shot at the buzzer.
3. The final shot was being made by Jordan at the buzzer.
4. The final shot had been made by Jordan at the buzzer.

Explanation: Active voice puts the doer of the action first, so the subject Jordan performs the verb. "Jordan made the final shot at the buzzer" places Jordan before the verb and keeps the past-tense verb "made," so it is the correct active, past-tense version. "Jordan makes the final shot at the buzzer" is active, but "makes" shifts to present tense, so it breaks the past-tense requirement. "The final shot was being made by Jordan at the buzzer" is still passive—the shot is the subject and Jordan follows "by"—and it uses the past progressive rather than a simple active verb. "The final shot had been made by Jordan at the buzzer" is also passive and shifts the verb to past perfect, so it neither becomes active nor keeps the plain past tense. Only the first choice satisfies both parts of the task.

Question 3

1. The new policy will announce the principal tomorrow.
2. The principal will be announced the new policy tomorrow.
3. The principal will announce the new policy tomorrow. (correct answer)
4. The principal will have announced the new policy tomorrow.

Explanation: To turn a passive sentence into an active one, make the doer of the action the subject. Here the principal is the one announcing, so the principal becomes the subject, the verb becomes the plain future "will announce," and the new policy becomes the object: "The principal will announce the new policy tomorrow." This keeps the future tense and the original meaning. "The new policy will announce the principal tomorrow" makes the policy do the announcing, which reverses who acts on whom. "The principal will be announced the new policy tomorrow" keeps the passive "will be announced" form instead of switching to an active verb. "The principal will have announced the new policy tomorrow" uses the correct subject but shifts to the future perfect tense instead of the simple future the stem asks for.

Question 4

1. Subject: the researchers; action received: were analyzed by the results.
2. Subject: the results; action received: were analyzed. (correct answer)
3. Subject: the researchers; action received: were performing the analysis.
4. Subject: the analysis; action received: were analyzed by the researchers.

Explanation: In a passive sentence, the subject sits at the front and receives the action rather than doing it. Here "the results" comes first and has something done to it, and the action it receives is "were analyzed." The "by the researchers" phrase tells you who performed the action, not who received it. The option naming "the researchers" as the subject is wrong because the researchers are the doers, hidden in the "by" phrase, not the receiver at the front. The option that keeps "the researchers" as subject and describes them "performing the analysis" also mistakes the doers for the subject of a passive sentence. The option naming "the analysis" as subject picks a word that never appears in the sentence and reverses the roles. Only "the results" as subject, receiving "were analyzed," correctly identifies both parts.

Question 5

1. The captain was lifting the championship trophy after the game.
2. The captain lifted the championship trophy after the game. (correct answer)
3. The captain is lifted by the championship trophy after the game.
4. The captain has lifted the championship trophy after the game.

Explanation: To make a passive sentence active, the person doing the action becomes the subject. Here the captain does the lifting, so the captain moves to the front, the trophy becomes the object, and the verb must stay in simple past tense to match the original: "The captain lifted the championship trophy after the game." The choice using "was lifting" turns the action into past progressive, showing an action in progress rather than the completed past event the original describes. The choice with "is lifted by" is still passive—it keeps the be-verb plus past participle and the "by" phrase—and it also shifts to present tense, so it fails to convert the voice at all. The choice using "has lifted" switches to present perfect, which changes the tense instead of keeping the simple past the prompt requires. Only "The captain lifted the championship trophy after the game" makes the actor the subject, uses the simple past verb, and keeps the original meaning.

Question 6

1. The captain lifted the championship trophy. (correct answer)
2. The captain had lifted the championship trophy.
3. The captain is lifting the championship trophy.
4. The captain lifts up the championship trophy.

Explanation: To turn a passive sentence into active voice, make the doer of the action the subject. Here the captain is the one lifting, so the captain becomes the subject, and the trophy becomes the object that receives the action. The correct answer, "The captain lifted the championship trophy," does exactly this and keeps the simple past tense that the original sentence used. One wrong choice writes "had lifted," which shifts the verb to past perfect tense instead of the simple past the stem asks you to keep. Another uses "is lifting," which is present tense, so it changes when the action happened. The last uses "lifts up," which is present tense and also adds an extra word not in the original. All three correctly make the captain the subject, so they are active voice, but each one breaks the rule to keep the past tense. Only "lifted" stays in the simple past while showing the captain performing the action directly.

Question 7

1. The meal is prepared by the chef every evening. (correct answer)
2. The meal was prepared by the chef every evening.
3. The meal is being prepared by the chef every evening.
4. The meal has been prepared by the chef every evening.

Explanation: To make a sentence passive, move the object ("the meal") to the subject position, then use a form of "be" plus the past participle, and add the original doer with "by." Because the original verb "prepares" is simple present, the passive must also be simple present: "is" + "prepared." The phrase "every evening" signals a habitual action, which confirms simple present. That is why "The meal is prepared by the chef every evening" is correct. "The meal was prepared by the chef every evening" shifts to past tense with "was," changing the original present tense. "The meal is being prepared by the chef every evening" uses the present progressive ("is being prepared"), describing an action happening right now rather than a repeated habit, so it changes the meaning. "The meal has been prepared by the chef every evening" uses the present perfect ("has been prepared"), which describes a completed result rather than the ongoing routine the original sentence states. Only the simple present passive keeps both the correct voice and the original tense.

Question 8

1. Passive voice, because the subject receives the action of the verb
2. Active voice, because the subject performs the action of the verb (correct answer)
3. Passive voice, because the sentence describes an action that already happened
4. Active voice, because the sentence names both a doer and a receiver

Explanation: In active voice, the subject does the action; in passive voice, the subject receives it. Here, "the dog" (the subject) performs the chasing, and "the squirrel" receives it, so the sentence is active. The choice claiming passive because the subject receives the action is wrong: the subject here is the one doing the chasing, not receiving it. The choice saying passive because the action already happened confuses tense with voice—past-tense sentences can be active or passive, and "chased" has no helping verb like "was" plus a past participle that passive voice requires (for example, "The squirrel was chased by the dog"). The choice saying active because the sentence names both a doer and a receiver reaches the right label with faulty reasoning: many passive sentences also name a doer (in a "by" phrase), so simply having both roles does not make a sentence active. What makes it active is that the subject itself is the doer. Look at who the subject is and what it's doing to identify voice correctly.

Question 9

1. The temperature was measuring the science teacher during the lab.
2. The temperature was measured by the science teacher during the lab. (correct answer)
3. The temperature is measured by the science teacher during the lab.
4. The temperature has been measured by the science teacher during the lab.

Explanation: Passive voice makes the receiver of the action the subject and uses "was" or "were" plus a past participle to keep the past tense. "The temperature was measured by the science teacher" does exactly this: the temperature becomes the subject, the past-tense form is preserved, and "by the science teacher" names who acted. The option reading "was measuring" uses the past progressive, which is active and also flips the meaning so the temperature performs the action. The option reading "is measured" is correctly passive but shifts to present tense, breaking the requirement to stay in the past. The option reading "has been measured" is passive but uses the present perfect ("has been"), not the simple past the sentence began with. Only the first passive option keeps both the passive structure and the original past tense.

Question 10

1. The article has had corrections from the editor.
2. The article has been corrected by the editor. (correct answer)
3. The article was corrected by the editor earlier.
4. The article is being corrected by the editor now.

Explanation: The present perfect passive is formed with "has/have been" plus the past participle. Rewriting "The editor has corrected the article" in the passive gives "The article has been corrected by the editor," which keeps the present perfect tense and names the editor as the doer. The choice saying the article "has had corrections from" the editor is a real sentence, but it swaps the verb "corrected" for a noun phrase and never uses the true present perfect passive form. The choice with "was corrected" uses simple past, not present perfect, so it loses the "has been" structure the stem requires. The choice with "is being corrected" uses present progressive passive, describing an action happening right now rather than one already completed. Only "has been corrected" matches both the passive voice and the present perfect tense.

Question 11

1. Subject: archaeologists; action received: was discovered
2. Subject: the archaeologists; action received: discovered in 1922
3. Subject: the ancient city; action received: was discovered (correct answer)
4. Subject: archaeologists; action received: discovered

Explanation: In a passive sentence, the grammatical subject is the thing that RECEIVES the action, and the verb is built from a form of "be" plus a past participle. Here, "the ancient city" sits in the subject position and receives the action "was discovered"—that is the correct choice. The people who actually did the discovering, the archaeologists, appear in the "by" phrase as the agent, not the subject. Any choice naming "archaeologists" (or "the archaeologists") as the subject reverses the passive structure, treating the doer as the subject as if the sentence were active. The choice listing the action as "discovered in 1922" also mistakenly folds a time detail into the verb; the passive verb is only "was discovered." The choice that gives the action as just "discovered" drops the "was," so it misses the be + past participle that actually forms the passive voice. Only "the ancient city" plus "was discovered" correctly identifies both the receiver of the action and the complete passive verb.

Question 12

1. The school board has approved the new policy. (correct answer)
2. The school board approved the new policy last week.
3. The school board is approving the new policy now.
4. The school board had approved the new policy.

Explanation: The task asks for active voice in the present perfect tense. Active voice puts the doer of the action first, and present perfect uses "has" or "have" plus the past participle. "The school board has approved the new policy" makes the school board the doer and keeps "has approved," so it meets both requirements. "The school board approved the new policy last week" is active but shifts to simple past ("approved"), so it drops the present perfect tense. "The school board is approving the new policy now" is active but uses present progressive ("is approving"), a different tense than the one asked for. "The school board had approved the new policy" is active but uses past perfect ("had approved") instead of present perfect, so the tense is wrong. Only the first option is both active and present perfect.

Question 13

1. The starting lineup will be chosen by the coach tomorrow. (correct answer)
2. The starting lineup is being chosen by the coach tomorrow.
3. The starting lineup has been chosen by the coach tomorrow.
4. The starting lineup will be choosing by the coach tomorrow.

Explanation: To make a sentence passive, the thing receiving the action becomes the subject, so "the starting lineup" moves to the front, and the doer ("the coach") follows "by." Because the original is future tense, the verb must be "will be chosen." That makes "The starting lineup will be chosen by the coach tomorrow" correct. "The starting lineup is being chosen by the coach tomorrow" uses the present progressive, so it describes something happening right now instead of tomorrow. "The starting lineup has been chosen by the coach tomorrow" uses the present perfect, which signals an action already completed and clashes with the future word "tomorrow." "The starting lineup will be choosing by the coach tomorrow" keeps the future "will be" but uses the wrong verb form; passive voice needs the past participle "chosen," not the -ing form "choosing." Only the first option correctly turns the sentence passive while keeping the future tense.

Question 14

1. The temperature was measured by the science teacher during the lab. (correct answer)
2. The temperature is measured by the science teacher during the lab.
3. The temperature was being measured the science teacher during the lab.
4. The temperature has measured by the science teacher during the lab.

Explanation: Passive voice makes the receiver of the action the subject, using a form of "be" plus a past participle, and keeps the original tense. The correct answer moves "the temperature" to subject position, uses the past passive "was measured," and keeps the doer in a "by the science teacher" phrase. The choice with "is measured" builds a correct passive but shifts to present tense, breaking the past-tense rule the stem requires. The choice with "was being measured the science teacher" drops the needed "by," so the agent phrase is broken and the sentence is ungrammatical. The choice with "has measured" pairs the wrong helping verb with the participle: "has measured" is active perfect, not passive, and it also lacks a correct "be" form, so it cannot be a proper passive sentence. Only the first option correctly forms the past passive while keeping the meaning and tense of the original.

Question 15

1. Active voice, because the subject does the discovering
2. Passive voice, because the subject receives the action (correct answer)
3. Active voice, because the doer appears later in the sentence
4. Passive voice, because the sentence describes a past event

Explanation: This sentence is in passive voice because the subject, "the ancient city," receives the action instead of doing it—the archaeologists are the ones who actually discovered it. One choice calls it active voice claiming the subject does the discovering, but the city is not discovering anything; it is being discovered. Another choice calls it active because the doer comes later, but a delayed doer ("by archaeologists") is actually a signal of passive voice, not active. The last choice correctly labels it passive but for the wrong reason: passive voice is defined by who receives the action, not by whether the event happened in the past—active sentences can be in the past tense too. Only the choice that names the subject as the receiver of the action explains why this sentence is passive.

Question 16

1. The winners were announced by the principal at the assembly.
2. The winners are announced by the principal at the assembly. (correct answer)
3. The winners are being announced by the principal at the assembly.
4. The winners have been announced by the principal at the assembly.

Explanation: The simple present passive uses "am/is/are" plus the past participle, so "The principal announces the winners" becomes "The winners are announced by the principal," and Choice B is correct. Choice A shifts to the past tense ("were announced"), Choice C shifts to the present progressive ("are being announced"), and Choice D shifts to the present perfect ("have been announced"), so each changes the tense or aspect instead of keeping the simple present.

Question 17

1. Jordan was making the final shot at the buzzer.
2. The final shot was scored by Jordan at the buzzer.
3. Jordan made the final shot at the buzzer. (correct answer)
4. Jordan had been given the final shot at the buzzer.

Explanation: In active voice, the subject performs the action. Here Jordan is the one doing the action, so Jordan should be the subject, followed by the past-tense verb "made" and its object "the final shot." That is exactly what "Jordan made the final shot at the buzzer" does: subject performs the action, past tense kept, meaning unchanged. "Jordan was making the final shot at the buzzer" shifts to the past progressive ("was making") instead of the simple past "made," changing the tense the stem asks you to keep. "The final shot was scored by Jordan at the buzzer" is still passive—the shot is the subject receiving the action, with "was scored" (be + past participle) plus a "by" phrase—so it never becomes active. "Jordan had been given the final shot at the buzzer" is also passive ("had been given") and changes the meaning, since it says Jordan received the shot rather than made it. Only the choice with Jordan as the acting subject and the simple past verb "made" meets both requirements: active voice and past tense.