In the following English grammar question on voice, choose the correct passive form of the sentence: I found the box last night in a ditch near my house.

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your understanding of the transformation between active voice and passive voice in English grammar. You are given the active sentence I found the box last night in a ditch near my house and asked to select the correct passive version. Voice questions are very common in competitive exams because they check whether you can keep the core meaning, tense, and important details unchanged while switching focus from the doer (subject) to the receiver (object) of the action.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Active sentence: I found the box last night in a ditch near my house.
• Subject: I
• Verb: found (simple past)
• Object: the box
• Adverbial details: last night, in a ditch near my house
• Task: Choose the option that correctly converts this into passive voice without changing tense or meaning.

Concept / Approach:
In passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence. The verb be is added in the appropriate tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Any extra information about time and place should be preserved. Here, found is the simple past form of find, so the passive structure must be was found. The natural passive sentence therefore begins with The box and uses the verb phrase was found. The time expression last night and the place phrase in a ditch near my house are kept in the same basic form to preserve meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Recheck by reversing the passive sentence mentally back into active: The box was found last night in a ditch near my house can be converted back as I found the box last night in a ditch near my house (optionally adding by me). The tense (simple past), the object (the box), and the adverbials (last night, in a ditch near my house) all match the original sentence. This confirms that option with was found is the correct passive transformation.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (The box I found last night in a ditch near my house.) is not a complete sentence because it lacks a finite verb after the subject; it is more like a fragment. Option C (Last night I found the box in a ditch near my house.) keeps the sentence in active voice and only changes the word order, so it does not answer the requirement to choose the passive form. Option D (The box is found last night in a ditch near my house.) mixes present tense is found with a past time expression last night, which is tense inconsistency. Option E (The box had been found last night in a ditch near my house.) uses past perfect had been found, which changes the tense from simple past and therefore alters the temporal sense.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often forget to preserve tense when shifting from active to passive and may incorrectly switch to present tense or past perfect. Another common mistake is to drop important adverbials like last night or in a ditch near my house, which changes the completeness of the information. Some candidates also confuse a re-ordered active sentence with a genuine passive construction. Always make sure that the passive sentence contains a form of be plus the past participle and that the original object is now the subject.

Final Answer:
The correct passive form of the sentence is The box was found last night in a ditch near my house.