Which sentence correctly conveys the passive voice?

• A. The committee approved the report.
• B. The report was approved by the committee.
• C. The committee's approval occurred.
• D. Approving the report, the committee nodded.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is showing the action being done to the subject, not by the subject. In the chosen sentence, “The report” is the one receiving the action, and the verb phrase “was approved” uses a form of “to be” plus the past participle, which signals passive voice. The phrase “by the committee” adds the agent, but even without it, the structure would still be passive; with it, the sentence clearly states who performed the action.

The other options mix in active structures or use a different construction:

• “The committee approved the report” has the committee as the doer and the report as the object, which is active voice.

• “The committee’s approval occurred” is a noun phrase about the event, not a passive construction.

• “Approving the report, the committee nodded” uses a participial phrase describing the committee’s action, but the main clause has the committee as the actor, so it remains active rather than passive.

So the sentence that correctly conveys passive voice is the one where the report is the subject and the action is described as “was approved,” with the agent indicated by “by the committee.”