Select the correct active form of the given sentence. Why was such a letter written by your brother?

Question

Select the correct active form of the given sentence. Why was such a letter written by your brother?

1. A. Why was your brother writing such a letter?
2. B. Why had your brother written such a letter?
3. C. Why did your brother write such a letter? (Correct answer)
4. D. Why does your brother write such a letter?

Correct Answer

Option C — Why did your brother write such a letter?

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Why did your brother write such a letter?

Key Points

• The passive "Why was such a letter written by your brother?" is simple past, so the active must be simple past too.
• In an active question the simple past uses the auxiliary did with the base verb: *did … write*, never *did … wrote*.
• The agent *your brother* becomes the subject, the subject *such a letter* becomes the object, and Why stays at the front.
• The distractors shift tense: A is past continuous, B past perfect, and D simple present.

Additional Information

• Question formation in the simple past always follows did + subject + base verb; the tense is carried by *did*, so the main verb reverts to its base form.
• The passive equivalent for questions is was/were + subject + past participle + by + agent.
• Preserve the question word and the sentence type when converting voice — a question must remain a question, complete with its question mark.
• Tense mapping to keep straight: *was written* ↔ *did write*; *has been written* ↔ *has written*; *had been written* ↔ *had written*.