A sentence has been given in the Active Voice. Out of the four given alternatives, select the option that best expresses the same idea in the Passive Voice: Why do you waste money?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: Why is money wasted by you?

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Voice transformation questions check a learner's understanding of how to change a sentence from active to passive or vice versa without altering its meaning or tense. The given sentence, Why do you waste money?, is a present simple question in the active voice. The task is to convert it correctly to the passive voice while keeping the interrogative structure and the same time reference. Such questions are common in English grammar sections of competitive exams.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Active sentence: Why do you waste money?
  • Subject: you.
  • Verb: waste.
  • Object: money.
  • Options include various passive constructions in present and perfect tenses.
  • We must preserve the sense of a general, habitual action question.


Concept / Approach:
To convert a present simple active question of the form Why do you waste money? into passive, we move the object money to the subject position and form a passive structure using the appropriate form of be plus the past participle wasted. For a present simple passive with a singular subject, we use is wasted. The auxiliary do disappears and the question begins with Why is. We also keep by you to show the agent, because the original question focuses on the person responsible for wasting money.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the object in the active sentence, which is money. Step 2: Bring the object to the front to form the new subject in the passive sentence: Money. Step 3: Since the tense in the active sentence is present simple (do waste), we need the present simple passive form is wasted. Step 4: Form the interrogative structure by placing the auxiliary is before the subject in a question: Why is money wasted. Step 5: Add the agent phrase by you to preserve the original meaning: Why is money wasted by you? Step 6: Compare this with the answer choices and find that option Why is money wasted by you? matches exactly.


Verification / Alternative check:
Check tense and aspect. The original sentence Why do you waste money? refers to a general or repeated action, not one that has just finished or is in progress now. Therefore, the passive form should also be in the simple present. Why is money being wasted by you? expresses present continuous, implying it is happening right now, which slightly changes the meaning. Why has money been wasted by you? uses present perfect passive, referring to completed past actions with present effect, which is not the same. Why is money wasted by you? preserves the habitual or general sense, so it is the correct transformation.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Why is money been wasted by you? is grammatically incorrect because it uses is with the past participle been, which requires has or have in a correct passive form. Why has money been wasted by you? changes the tense to present perfect and suggests completed actions in the past, not the general habit implied by do waste. Why is money being wasted by you? uses the present continuous passive, indicating an ongoing action, which again alters the original time reference. Thus, these alternatives do not accurately reflect the tense and sense of the original question.


Common Pitfalls:
Many learners confuse present simple and present continuous or believe that the presence of do must be mirrored by a perfect or continuous passive structure. Another common error is to use the wrong auxiliary combination such as is been, which is not correct in English. The safe method is to first identify the tense in the active sentence, then apply the corresponding be form in the passive, and finally adjust word order for questions. Practising with simple patterns like Do you eat rice? and Is rice eaten by you? helps internalise the correct transformation.


Final Answer:
The correct passive voice form is Why is money wasted by you?

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