Which linguistic transformation involves changing 'The boy kicked the ball' to 'The ball was kicked by the bo… - AIIMS CRE, SNO-2024

AIIMS CRE, SNO-2024

English

Easy

Appeared in: AIIMS CRE, SNO-2024

Explanation

The transformation described is from active voice to passive voice.
In the passive voice, the object of the action in the active sentence becomes the subject of the new sentence.
The original subject (the 'doer' of the action) is moved to the end of the sentence and is often introduced by the preposition 'by'.
The verb form is also changed, typically by using a form of the verb 'to be' followed by the past participle (e.g., 'kicked' becomes 'was kicked').

Option A: Active voice is the original form of the sentence ('The boy kicked the ball'), not the transformed version. It emphasizes the person or thing performing the action.
Option C: Indirect speech, or reported speech, is used to report what someone else has said, not to change the voice of a sentence. It often involves changes in pronouns, tenses, and adverbs of time and place.
Option D: The imperative mood is used to give direct commands, orders, or requests. The subject is often an implied 'you'.

Visual 1: Diagram: A flowchart showing the transformation from an active sentence to a passive sentence. It would illustrate how the subject and object switch places and how the verb form changes. Caption: This visual clarifies the structural shift from active (Subject -> Verb -> Object) to passive (Object -> Verb -> by Subject) voice.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Grammatical Voice (Active vs. Passive) as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Clear communication is vital in nursing. While both voices are grammatically correct, the active voice is often preferred in clinical documentation for clarity and accountability (e.g., 'The nurse administered 10 mg of morphine' is clearer than '10 mg of morphine was administered').
The passive voice can be useful when the action or the recipient of the action is more important than the person who performed it (e.g., 'The patient was transferred to the ICU').
What if? If an incident report was written, using the active voice is crucial to clearly identify who did what. For example, 'Nurse Smith documented the fall' is better than 'The fall was documented,' which leaves ambiguity about who took the action.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the original sentence: 'The boy kicked the ball'. Identify the subject (the doer: 'the boy'), the verb (the action: 'kicked'), and the object (the receiver: 'the ball').
Next, analyze the transformed sentence: 'The ball was kicked by the boy'. Identify the new subject ('the ball'), the new verb form ('was kicked'), and the agent ('by the boy').
Compare the two structures. Notice that the object of the first sentence has become the subject of the second sentence.
Recognize this specific structural change—where the receiver of the action becomes the grammatical subject—as the definition of the passive voice.
Evaluate the other options to confirm they do not fit. Active voice is the starting point, indirect speech is for reporting, and imperative is for commands.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Grammatical Voice (Active vs. Passive)
Stem keywords: linguistic transformation, The boy kicked the ball, The ball was kicked by the boy
Lead-in keywords: Which

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