Question

environment
bureau of transportation statistics: us d.o.t.
the role of transportation

1. introduction
2. as the united states strives to achieve greater energy efficiency and

independence and to improve the environment, the role of transportation
has become paramount. america consumes more energy and produces
more pollution in mobility and travel than in any other activity. it follows that
any serious effort to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and make
significant additional progress on the environment must address the way
americans travel. this study examines the role of public transportation in
conserving energy and reducing pollution. the data show that traveling by
public transportation, per person and per mile, uses significantly less
energy and produces substantially less pollution than comparable travel by
private vehicles. we find that increasing the role of public transportation
can provide the most effective strategy available for reducing energy
consumption and improving the environment without imposing new taxes
and government regulations on the economy or consumers.
around our ability to travel easily and efficiently from home to work or
school, to shop or play, to receive medical care or just for the sheer pleasure
of traveling. (1) this freedom has certain costs that accompany its many
benefits. (2) vehicles, public and private, have to be purchased and
operated; (3)roads must be built and maintained; laws must be enforced so
many people can travel at the same time; and (4) hundreds of thousands of
accidents inevitably occur.
which revision changes the underlined clause labeled (3) in paragraph 2
from passive voice to active voice?
a roads, public and private, must be built and maintained
b roads must be maintained by public and private
donations
c the department of transportation (d.o.t.) must build
and maintain roads
d the government roads, public and private, must be
maintained by those who built them

Explanation:

To convert a passive - voice sentence to active voice, we need to identify the subject of the passive sentence (the receiver of the action) and make it the doer of the action in the active - voice sentence.

In option A, the passive - voice construction is “roads, public and private, must be built and maintained”. The subject (the doer of the action in active voice) is not clearly stated in the passive form. To convert it to active voice, we need to find out who builds and maintains the roads.

Option B “roads must be maintained by public and private donations” is still in passive voice (the action “maintained” is done to the roads, and the doer is “public and private donations” but the structure is passive).

Option C “the Department of Transportation (DOT) must build and maintain roads” is in active voice. The subject “the Department of Transportation (DOT)” is performing the actions “build” and “maintain”.

Option D “the Government roads, public and private, must be maintained by those who built them” is also in passive voice (the action “maintained” is done to the roads, and the doer is “those who built them” but the structure is passive).

Answer:

C. the Department of Transportation (DOT) must build and maintain roads