Question

Convert the sentence provided below from its passive voice structure to an active voice structure: Rare minerals are known to have been secretly extracted from the site by unauthorized workers before the inspection.

• A. Unauthorized workers extracted the rare minerals before inspection.
• B. The site was secretly mined before the inspection.
• C. Unauthorized workers are known to have secretly extracted rare minerals before inspection.
• D. The minerals had been extracted prior to inspection.

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Unauthorized workers are known to have secretly extracted rare minerals before inspection.

Converting a complex sentence from passive to active voice requires identifying the true agent of the action and aligning the tense structure correctly. Let's break it down step-by-step:

• Step 1: Identify the Subject, Object, and Agent in the Passive Sentence

  • Passive Subject: "Rare minerals" (receiving the action)

  • Main Verb Phrase: "are known to have been secretly extracted"

  • Agent (The Doer): "by unauthorized workers"

• Step 2: Shift the Agent to the Subject Position

  • To make it active, the agent ("Unauthorized workers") must become the subject performing the action at the start of the sentence.

• Step 3: Maintain the Exact Tense and Modifiers

  • The original passive sentence uses a complex infinitive construction: "are known to have been secretly extracted".

  • This indicates two things: a present state of knowledge (are known) about a completed past action (to have been extracted), modified by the adverb secretly.

  • To keep the exact meaning intact, the phrase "are known to have secretly extracted" must be used. It drops the passive marker "been" but perfectly preserves the temporal structure and the adverb "secretly."