In the following question, a sentence is given in Active voice. Out of the four alternatives suggested, select the one which best expresses the same sentence in Passive voice: One should keep one's word.

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: One's word has to be kept.

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question tests your understanding of how to change an impersonal sentence with “one” from Active to Passive voice. The original sentence uses “one” in a general sense, meaning “any person” or “everyone”. You must choose the Passive construction that preserves the general obligation expressed by the Active sentence.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Active sentence: “One should keep one's word.”
  • Subject: one (impersonal, general person).
  • Verb phrase: should keep.
  • Object: one's word.
  • Options are four possible passive or rephrased versions.


Concept / Approach:
In generic statements with one, the focus is on the obligation or duty, not on a specific person. The Passive voice should keep this sense of general obligation towards the phrase one's word. A natural Passive form is “One's word has to be kept,” which maintains the idea that it is necessary to keep promises. Other options either lose the possessive idea or introduce an unnecessary agent such as “us”.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify the object in the Active sentence: “one's word”. In Passive, this becomes the grammatical subject.Change the modal “should keep” into a Passive structure that still shows obligation, such as “has to be kept”.Form the sentence: “One's word has to be kept.”Check that the meaning remains: it is a general rule or moral obligation that a person must keep his or her promise.Compare this with the given options and select the one that matches.


Verification / Alternative check:
Consider the meaning: “One should keep one's word” means “A person must keep their promise.” The Passive “One's word has to be kept” also means “The promise has to be kept,” which preserves both the moral obligation and the general tone. It does not tie the duty to any specific person or group, which matches the style of the original proverb like statement.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
“A word should be kept” is grammatically possible but loses the important possessive idea: it is not just any word, but one's own word or promise. “A word should be keeping” is ungrammatical because “keeping” is not used this way in Passive constructions. “One's word should be kept by us” wrongly introduces “us” as a specific agent and changes the impersonal, general rule into a particular action by a particular group.


Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes focus only on mechanical transformation and forget that the central message must remain intact. In proverbs and general moral statements, impersonal subjects like one, you or we are often used. When switching to Passive, keep that generality by avoiding unnecessary specific agents and by preserving important elements such as possessives. “One's word has to be kept” does this more effectively than the other alternatives.


Final Answer:
The best Passive rendering is One's word has to be kept.

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