Question

Read the sentence.

During the Cold War, scientists competed in the "space race.”

Which revision changes the sentence to draw attention to the object of the action rather than the people or things performing the action?

The “space race” by competing scientists occurred during the Cold War.
During the Cold War, scientists led the “space race” competition.
During the Cold War “space race,” scientists competed.
The “space race” was a Cold War competition by scientists.

Answer 1

The original sentence is written in active voice, which places emphasis on the subject (scientists) performing the action on the object (the space race).

When we want to draw attention to the object instead, we use passive voice. In passive voice, the object receives the action.

Now, re-read each sentence and think about which sentence has the object receiving the action.