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Question

Difficulty: MediumActive and Passive Voice Transformation

How is the sentence 'The security guards were keeping a close watch on the suspicious luggage when the alarm sounded' correctly rendered in the passive voice?

  1. A close watch was being kept on the suspicious luggage by the security guards when the alarm sounded.Answer
  2. B
    A close watch were being kept on the suspicious luggage by the security guards when the alarm sounded.
  3. C
    A close watch was being kept of the suspicious luggage by the security guards when the alarm sounded.
  4. D
    A close watch had been kept on the suspicious luggage by the security guards when the alarm sounded.

Answer

A close watch was being kept on the suspicious luggage by the security guards when the alarm sounded.
The statement expressing that a close watch was being kept on the suspicious luggage correctly converts the past continuous active verb 'were keeping' into the past continuous passive form 'was being kept', maintaining subject-verb agreement with the singular subject 'A close watch' and preserving the essential preposition 'on'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the original sentence structure, subject, verb phrase, object, and prepositions.
Subject: 'The security guards', Verb: 'were keeping' (past continuous active), Direct Object / Nominal Phrase: 'a close watch', Prepositional Complement: 'on the suspicious luggage'.
Converting from active to passive requires moving the object to the subject position while maintaining the exact verb tense and prepositions.
2
Transform the active past continuous verb ('were keeping') into its passive equivalent.
The past continuous passive form is 'was/were being + past participle' -> 'was being kept'.
The new singular subject 'A close watch' requires the singular auxiliary verb 'was' followed by 'being' and the past participle 'kept'.
3
Retain prepositions and attach the agentive phrase.
'A close watch was being kept on the suspicious luggage by the security guards when the alarm sounded.'
The preposition 'on' must be strictly preserved after 'kept' to maintain structural validity.

Key Concept

Active and Passive Voice Transformation with Continuous Tense and Prepositional Phrases
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Topics

Active and Passive Voice Transformation

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