Passive Voice Grammar Exercises: Level B1-B2 (with Answers)

⏱ Time: 07:30 📝 Questions: 15 📊 Level: B1, B2 📚 Type: Grammar ⭐ XP: up to +16 (on pass)

The fastest way to learn is from your mistakes. Try these 15 Passive Voice exercises at Level B1-B2 and read the explanation for every question — especially the ones you get wrong. Each explanation names the specific rule so you know exactly what to review.

⏱ You have 07:30 to answer 15 questions. The timer only starts when you click Begin.

Q1  15
Q1 15

Question 1: The windows ___ every morning by the cleaning staff.

Question 1 options
'are cleaned' is correct because the present simple passive is formed with 'am/is/are + past participle'. 'cleaned' alone is missing the auxiliary verb. 'are cleaning' is the active present continuous. 'have cleaned' is the present perfect active.
Q2 15

Question 2: The letter ___ before the end of the week, so please check your mailbox.

Question 2 options
'will be delivered' is correct because the future simple passive is formed with 'will be + past participle'. 'will deliver' is active. 'is delivered' is present simple passive, which does not indicate a future action. 'was delivered' is past simple passive.
Q3 15

Question 3: In the passive voice, the preposition 'by' is used to introduce the agent (the person or thing performing the action).

Question 3 options
True. In passive sentences, when the agent is mentioned, it is introduced with 'by' (e.g., 'The cake was baked by Anna'). This is a standard rule of passive voice construction in English.
Q4 15

Question 4: Which situation is the BEST reason to use passive voice instead of active voice?

Question 4 options
Passive voice is most appropriate when the agent is unknown or unimportant, so the action itself receives the focus. It is not chosen simply to make sentences longer, to describe a subject's own action, or to make writing less formal.
Q5 15

Question 5: Arrange the words to make a correct sentence:

Question 5 options
  • by
  • was written
  • a senior manager
  • The report

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'The report was written by a senior manager' because the passive is formed with 'subject + was + past participle + by + agent'.
Q6 15

Question 6: Which sentence is grammatically correct?

Question 6 options
'The project has been completed on time' is correct because the present perfect passive uses 'has/have + been + past participle'. 'The project has been complete' is missing the past participle form. 'The project has completed' is active and changes the meaning. 'The project have been completed' uses a wrong auxiliary verb for a singular subject.
Q7 15

Question 7: A news reporter says: 'Three people ___ in the accident near the city centre last night.' Which form correctly completes the report?

Question 7 options
'were injured' is correct because news reports about past events commonly use the past simple passive when the agent is unknown or unimportant. 'injured' alone lacks the auxiliary. 'have injured' is active present perfect. 'are injuring' is active present continuous.
Q8 15

Question 8: Which sentence correctly uses the passive voice (not the active voice)?

Question 8 options
'The new bridge is being built near the river' is the correct passive construction using 'is being + past participle'. The other options all use active voice constructions with a performing subject.
Q9 15

Question 9: Put the words in the correct order:

Question 9 options
  • a new teacher
  • by
  • are being taught
  • The children

Drag items or use arrows to arrange them in the correct order.

The correct order is 'The children are being taught by a new teacher' because the present continuous passive is formed with 'subject + are/is + being + past participle + by + agent'.
Q10 15

Question 10: The stolen paintings ___ to the museum after the investigation was completed.

Question 10 options
'were returned' is correct because the sentence describes a completed past action in the passive voice, requiring 'were + past participle'. 'returned' alone lacks the auxiliary. 'are returned' is present simple passive, which does not match the past time reference ('after the investigation was completed'). 'had returned' is active past perfect.
Q11 15

Question 11: Which statement about the passive voice is true?

Question 11 options
The agent can be omitted in passive sentences when it is unknown, obvious, or unimportant. The passive is not only used in the past tense — it exists in all tenses. The passive cannot be used with all verbs; intransitive verbs (e.g., 'arrive', 'sleep') cannot take a passive form. Active voice is generally considered clearer, not the passive.
Q12 15

Question 12: Rewrite in the passive: 'Scientists have discovered a new species.' → A new species ___ by scientists.

Question 12 options
'has been discovered' is correct because the present perfect passive is formed with 'has/have + been + past participle'. 'was discovered' is past simple passive, which changes the tense. 'is discovered' is present simple passive. 'had been discovered' is past perfect passive, which does not match the original tense.
Q13 15

Question 13: Match each sentence to the correct passive voice label.

Question 13 options
The emails are sent automatically every day.
The suspect was arrested yesterday evening.
The new road has been approved by the council.
The documents are being reviewed right now.
Past simple passive
Present simple passive
Present perfect passive
Present continuous passive

Select an item on the left, then tap its match on the right.

Each passive tense has a distinct structure: present simple passive (is/are + V3), past simple passive (was/were + V3), present perfect passive (has/have been + V3), and present continuous passive (is/are being + V3).
Q14 15

Question 14: Intransitive verbs (verbs that do not take a direct object, such as 'arrive' or 'sleep') can be used in the passive voice.

Question 14 options
False. Only transitive verbs (verbs that take a direct object) can form passive sentences, because the object becomes the subject in the passive. Intransitive verbs like 'arrive' or 'sleep' have no object to promote, so they cannot be made passive.
Q15 15

Question 15: A manager writes in a formal report: 'Errors ___ during the audit.' Which version is more appropriate for this formal, impersonal context?

Question 15 options
'Were identified' fits the formal, impersonal register of a report where the passive is used to focus on the action rather than the agent. 'We identified' is active and personal, which is less suited to an impersonal report style. 'Someone identified' adds an unnecessary vague agent. 'Identified' alone is not a complete verb form in this context.