Border Patrol Practice Exam

In the sentence "She takes; she is taking," what voice is being used?

1. Active

2. Passive

3. Indicative

4. Subjunctive

The correct answer is: Active

The sentence "She takes; she is taking," utilizes the active voice. In active voice constructions, the subject of the sentence performs the action expressed by the verb. Here, "she" is the subject, and it is clear that "she" is actively engaging in the action of taking. The other voices, such as passive, would indicate that the subject is receiving the action rather than performing it. For instance, in a passive construction, the sentence might read, "The book was taken by her," where "the book" becomes the focus of the action rather than the doer. As for the indicative mood, while the sentence does express a statement of fact, it does not specifically pertain to the voice being used. Additionally, the subjunctive mood is used to express wishes, demands, or hypothetical situations, which is not relevant in this case since the statements are straightforward actions being performed. Thus, focusing on the action and the role of the subject leads to the conclusion that the correct voice, in this case, is indeed the active voice.