All Exams Test series for 1 year @ ₹349 only
Question

Choose the correct active voice form of the sentence:
"All the books had been neatly arranged on the shelves by my grandfather."

This question was previously asked in
SSC Stenographer 2025 Question Paper (06-Aug-2025) Shift 2
The correct answer is

My grand father had neatly arranged all the books on the shelves. 

Understanding the Passive Sentence

The original sentence is in the passive voice: "All the books had been neatly arranged on the shelves by my grandfather."

  • Subject (Passive): All the books
  • Verb Phrase: had been neatly arranged (Past Perfect Passive)
  • Agent (Object in Active): my grandfather
  • Adverb: neatly
  • Prepositional Phrase: on the shelves

Converting to Active Voice

To change a passive voice sentence to active voice, we follow these steps:

  1. Identify the agent (the performer of the action) in the passive sentence, which is usually found after the preposition 'by'. In this case, it's "my grandfather". This agent becomes the subject of the active sentence.
  2. Identify the subject of the passive sentence ("All the books"). This becomes the direct object of the active sentence.
  3. Change the verb form. The passive verb "had been arranged" (Past Perfect Passive) must be converted to the active Past Perfect tense, which is "had arranged".
  4. Keep other elements like adverbs ("neatly") and prepositional phrases ("on the shelves") in their appropriate places.

Applying these steps, the active voice sentence should be: "My grandfather had neatly arranged all the books on the shelves."

Analyzing the Options

  • Option 1: "My grand father has neatly arranged all the books on the shelves." - This uses the Present Perfect tense ("has arranged"), which is incorrect. The original passive sentence uses the Past Perfect tense.
  • Option 2: "My grand father had neatly arranged all the books on the shelves. " - This correctly uses the Past Perfect tense ("had arranged"), includes the adverb "neatly", and correctly identifies the subject ("My grandfather") and object ("all the books"). This matches our converted sentence.
  • Option 3: "My grand father have neatly arranged all the books on the shelves." - This uses the incorrect verb form "have" with the singular subject "My grandfather" and uses the Present Perfect tense ("have arranged"), both of which are incorrect.
  • Option 4: "My grand father had arranged all the books on the shelves." - While this uses the correct Past Perfect tense ("had arranged"), it omits the adverb "neatly", making it incomplete compared to the original passive sentence's meaning.

Conclusion

Option 2 is the correct active voice form because it accurately reflects the tense (Past Perfect), includes all necessary components (subject, verb, object, adverb), and follows the rules of voice transformation.

Was this answer helpful?

Similar Questions

  1. Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure:
    The book was read by the student in just two days.

  2. Select the correct active form of the given sentence.
    "The book is being read by him."
  3. Change the following from active to passive:
    By the time the team arrived, the technicians had already repaired the control panel and tested all functions twice.
  4. Select the correct active form of the given sentence.
    "The window had been broken by the boy."
  5. Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure.
    The poem was composed by the student during the literature class.
  6. Select the correct passive form of the given sentence.
    "She is painting the wall."
  7. Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure:
    All the entries must have been verified by the auditor before submission.
  8. Transform the following sentence into active voice.
    The royal sword is said to have been transferred to a new museum where it would have been preserved properly.
  9. Which of the given options is the most logical sequencing of the following sentences to form a meaningful paragraph?
    1. Franklin hypothesized that lightning was a form of electrical discharge.
    2. Franklin flew a kite made of a silk string and attached a metal key to it during a storm.
    3. He wanted to prove this by conducting an experiment to capture the electrical charge from a thunderstorm.
    4. As the storm approached, the kite was struck by lightning, and the metal key conducted the electrical charge.
  10. Select the most appropriate option to fill in the blank.
    The soldier laid down his life ______ the nation.

Important Questions from Active and Passive Voice

  1. Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.
    Have you placed an order for a cake?

  2. Select the option that expresses the given sentence in active voice.
    Walking zones have been demarcated using paints and cones by the municipal corporation.

  3. Select the option that expresses the given sentence in active voice.
    All previous ages are far surpassed in knowledge by our age.

  4. Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.
    Give her a 50% raise in salary.

  5. Select the option that expresses the given sentence in passive voice.
    The commanding officer ordered the troops to march ahead.

Need Expert Advice?
Upcoming Exams
SSC JHT
September 08, 2026
SSC Stenographer
September 09, 2026
SSC Selection Post
September 16, 2026
Test Series
SSC Stenographer img
SSC
SSC Stenographer 2026 Mock Test Series (Latest Version)
1170 Tests 2 Tests Free
2230 Attempts
4.6(242)
English, Hindi
More Questions from SSC Stenographer

Start Your Preparation with Prepp Mobile App

Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Prepp Mobile App