A sentence is given in the causative form of the imperative: “Have the car stolen!” Choose the option that best expresses the same meaning in clear active voice.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: Get someone to steal the car.

Explanation:


Introduction:
Voice transformation questions often involve not just changing between active and passive voice, but also understanding causative structures. The imperative sentence Have the car stolen uses a causative form, where the subject is not performing the action directly but is arranging for the action to be done. To choose the correct equivalent, you must recognise this causative meaning and select the option that clearly expresses the idea of arranging for the car to be stolen.


Given Data / Assumptions:

    - Original sentence: Have the car stolen. - It is an imperative, giving a command or instruction. - Options describe different possible actions involving the car. - Exactly one option must match the causative sense of arranging for theft.


Concept / Approach:
In English, the structure have plus object plus past participle can indicate a causative meaning, where you arrange for something to be done by someone else. For example, have the house painted means arrange for someone to paint the house. In the imperative Have the car stolen, the speaker is telling someone to ensure that the car is stolen by getting another person to do it. Therefore, the best active equivalent is Get someone to steal the car, which makes that meaning more explicit.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recognise that have in this sentence does not mean possess but means cause to be done. Step 2: Understand that the car is the object that the action stolen will affect. Step 3: Convert the causative structure have the car stolen into an equivalent with get, which is also used in causatives: get someone to steal the car. Step 4: Compare this with the options to see which matches. Step 5: Identify option C, Get someone to steal the car, as the only choice that clearly expresses causing another person to perform the theft.


Verification / Alternative check:
Look at other examples of causatives: Have the report typed means get someone to type the report, and Have your hair cut means arrange for the hairdresser to cut your hair. Similarly, Have the car stolen in this artificial exam sentence must mean arrange for theft, not simply report that theft has taken place. Rewriting it as Get someone to steal the car accurately mirrors those patterns, confirming option C as correct.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, Steal the car, is a direct command instructing the listener to personally steal the car, which removes the causative idea of arranging for someone else to do it. Option B, You should have the stolen car, sounds like advice about possessing a car that has already been stolen, which is a different meaning. Option D, They have stolen the car, is a statement in the present perfect tense, not an imperative, and simply reports that the car is now stolen, so it does not match the instruction to cause an action.


Common Pitfalls:
Candidates often confuse causative have with simple possession or with passive voice. The key is to notice the pattern have plus object plus third form of the verb and recognise that it usually describes arranging for a service or action. Practising with common causative examples such as have the room cleaned, have the letter delivered, and have the watch repaired makes it easier to spot this structure quickly in exams.


Final Answer:
Get someone to steal the car. is the correct active voice equivalent of the causative imperative.

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