Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: Every day the house is vacuumed and dusted by the maid.
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question tests the ability to transform a sentence from Active voice to Passive voice while preserving tense, aspect, and meaning. The original sentence describes a routine action performed by the maid: she vacuums and dusts the house every day. The candidate must select the passive form that correctly places the object the house as the new subject, maintains simple present tense, and keeps the adverbial phrase every day in a natural position.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
To form the passive voice, the object of the active sentence becomes the subject, and the subject of the active sentence is moved to a by phrase. The main verbs are converted into the appropriate passive form using a form of be plus past participle. Because the original verbs are in the simple present tense and describe a habitual action, the passive form must also be in the simple present: is vacuumed and dusted. The adverbial phrase every day is best placed at the beginning or end of the sentence in a natural position. Therefore, Every day the house is vacuumed and dusted by the maid is the correct passive transformation.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify subject, verbs, and object in the active sentence: subject = the maid, verbs = vacuums and dusts, object = the house.Step 2: Move the object to the subject position in passive voice: The house ...Step 3: Change the main verbs into simple present passive. Since the house is singular, use is plus past participles vacuumed and dusted.Step 4: Add the agent with by: by the maid, because we want to keep the information about who performs the actions.Step 5: Place the adverbial every day naturally, often at the beginning: Every day the house is vacuumed and dusted by the maid.
Verification / Alternative check:
Let us examine each option. Option A reads Every day the house is vacuumed and dusted by the maid, which uses the correct simple present passive and includes both actions. Option B uses were instead of is, which is wrong for a singular subject house in simple present and suggests a past tense plural subject. Options C and D use is being done and was being done, which refer to continuous actions rather than a regular daily routine. They also use an awkward nominalised form Dusting and vacuuming of the house, which is less direct and does not preserve the original simple structure. Thus, only option A exactly matches the tense, meaning, and natural style of the active sentence.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B: Every day the house were vacuumed and dusted by the maid mixes plural were with singular the house and indicates past habitual action rather than present, making it grammatically incorrect. Option C: Dusting and Vacuuming of the house every day is being done by the maid shifts to present continuous passive, which suggests an action in progress rather than a general routine, and the phrasing is clumsy. Option D: Dusting and Vacuuming of the house every day was being done by the maid is past continuous passive, which again does not match the simple present routine described in the active sentence.
Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes overlook the tense and aspect when converting active to passive and choose any option that looks roughly similar. Another pitfall is to be distracted by nominalised forms like dusting and vacuuming of the house, which sound more complicated but are not direct equivalents of the original simple verbs. A reliable approach is always to match the tense first (simple present here), then match number (the house with is), and finally ensure that both actions, vacuums and dusts, are represented by two past participles in the passive form.
Final Answer:
The correct passive form is Every day the house is vacuumed and dusted by the maid.
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