TSA CBT Practice Test

What determines whether a verb is in active or passive voice?

1. The subject's involvement in the action.

2. The punctuation used in the sentence.

3. The tense of the verb.

4. The number of clauses in the sentence.

The correct answer is: The subject's involvement in the action.

The correct understanding of active and passive voice revolves around the subject's involvement in the action. In active voice, the subject performs the action of the verb, making the sentence dynamic and direct. For example, in the sentence "The cat chased the mouse," the cat (the subject) is actively doing the chasing. In contrast, passive voice occurs when the subject is acted upon by the verb, as seen in "The mouse was chased by the cat." Here, the subject (the mouse) does not perform the action but instead receives it. The other options do not define or affect whether a verb is in active or passive voice. Punctuation does not influence voice, as the structure of the sentence remains fundamentally the same regardless of punctuation marks. The tense of the verb indicates when the action occurs (past, present, future) but does not determine voice. Similarly, the number of clauses in a sentence may provide context but does not inherently affect the distinction between active and passive voice. Thus, the subject's involvement in the action is paramount for identifying the voice used.