SSC CGL 2024 Tier-I · 12 September 2024, Shift 2 · English Comprehension · Question 4 of 100

Text as printed on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; answer per SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 6 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. The questions and options here are reproduced as printed on a candidate's own response sheet for this shift — the Commission's text, unchanged. Each answer is SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet; SSC allowed challenges to it and never publishes a final key. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

Select the option that expresses the given sentence in active voice. The drug pedlar was arrested by the narcotics team.

(a)The narcotics team arrest the drug pedlar.
(b)The narcotics team has arrested the drug pedlar.
(c)The narcotics team was arrested the drug pedlar.
(d)The narcotics team arrested the drug pedlar.

Answer

Why

Correct — D. The given verb is was arrested, the simple past passive, so the active version must also be simple past.

Swap the roles and keep the tense: the agent the narcotics team becomes the subject, the drug pedlar becomes the object, and was arrested becomes arrested.

That gives The narcotics team arrested the drug pedlar → option (d).

Why the others are wrong

(a)
The narcotics team arrest the drug pedlar. — The roles are swapped correctly, but arrest is simple present. A voice change never moves the sentence out of the past.
(b)
The narcotics team has arrested the drug pedlar. — Has arrested is present perfect, and the passive that matches it would be has been arrested. The sentence given uses was arrested, so the active is the plain past.
(c)
The narcotics team was arrested the drug pedlar. — Keeps the passive verb was arrested while placing the team in front of it, so the sentence now says the team was arrested, and it is ungrammatical besides.

Concept

Voice change is a three-step mechanical operation once you have named the tense of the verb phrase.

Take the agent out of the by phrase and make it the subject. Make the old subject the object. Rewrite the verb in the same tense, active.

The tense is the part candidates lose. Was arrested is simple past passive, so it gives arrested, not arrests and not has arrested. Two of the wrong options here get the roles right and only move the tense, which is why the verb is the first thing to check.

The by phrase is what tells you which noun is the agent. When SSC drops it, the active version has to supply a subject such as somebody or they, but here the team is stated.

Key facts

Simple past passive, was or were plus the third form, becomes simple past active.
The noun in the by phrase becomes the subject of the active sentence.
A change of voice never changes the tense of the original sentence.

Study next

Voice change in the continuous tenses, where were conducting becomes were being conductedVoice change in questions that begin By whomModal passives such as must be done, whose active is must do

Common traps

Choosing has arrested because a perfect tense sounds more finished than the bare past.
Swapping the nouns but leaving the auxiliary was in front of the main verb.

The opposite direction, active into passive, is set at 12 Sep 2024, 12:30, English Q.18, where were conducting becomes were being conducted. Active-voice conversion also appears at 9 Sep 2024, 12:30, English Q.1 and 11 Sep 2024, 12:30, English Q.14.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.