Understanding Active and Passive Voice

The question asks us to convert a sentence from active voice to passive voice. In the active voice, the subject performs the action. In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. The structure changes, but the meaning generally remains the same regarding who or what is affected by the verb.

The original sentence is: "I climbed the steep mountain quite easily."

Let's break down the original sentence:

• Subject: I (the one performing the action)
• Verb: climbed (the action)
• Object: the steep mountain (the thing receiving the action)
• Adverbial Phrase: quite easily (describes how the action was performed)

The verb "climbed" is in the simple past tense.

Converting Simple Past Active to Passive Voice

To convert a sentence from simple past active voice to simple past passive voice, we follow this general structure:

Active: \( \text{Subject} + \text{Verb (Past Tense)} + \text{Object} + (\text{other elements}) \)

Passive: \( \text{Object} + \text{was/were} + \text{Past Participle of Verb} + (\text{other elements}) + (\text{by} + \text{Subject}) \)

Applying this to our sentence:

1. Identify the object: "the steep mountain". This becomes the new subject.
2. Identify the verb and its tense: "climbed", simple past.
3. Determine the past participle of the verb: The past participle of "climb" is "climbed".
4. Choose the correct form of 'to be' in the past tense based on the new subject: "The steep mountain" is singular, so we use "was".
5. Combine the 'to be' verb and the past participle: "was climbed".
6. Identify the original subject: "I". This becomes part of a 'by' phrase: "by me".
7. Include other elements: "quite easily" can be placed before or after the past participle or the 'by' phrase. Placing it before 'by me' is common and sounds natural.

Putting it all together, the passive sentence is: "The steep mountain was climbed quite easily by me."

Analyzing the Options for Passive Form

Let's examine the given options based on the rules of passive voice conversion for the simple past tense.

Based on the analysis, Option 1 correctly transforms the simple past active sentence "I climbed the steep mountain quite easily" into its corresponding simple past passive form.

Revision Table: Simple Past Passive Voice

Additional Information on Active and Passive Voice Conversion

Converting sentences between active and passive voice is a key skill in English grammar. Here are some points to remember:

• The passive voice is often used when the doer of the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from the context. It is also common in formal writing, scientific reports, and news articles to focus on the action or the recipient rather than the doer.
• Not all verbs can be used in the passive voice. Intransitive verbs (verbs that do not take a direct object, like "sleep", "walk", "arrive") cannot form a passive sentence because there is no object to become the new subject.
• When converting from active to passive, the tense of the verb must be maintained. A simple past active sentence requires a simple past passive structure.
• The 'by' phrase is included when the doer of the action is important information to include in the passive sentence. If the doer is not important or is unknown, the 'by' phrase can be omitted. In this specific sentence, including "by me" clarifies who performed the action.