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Agentless Passive in Technical English
5 exercises — practise deciding when to omit or state the agent in passive sentences.
0 / 26 completed
1 / 26
Which sentence correctly uses an agentless passive because the doer of the action is unknown?
"The production database was accidentally dropped last night" is correct: when the agent is unknown or unimportant to the message, the passive voice can simply omit the "by" phrase entirely, keeping the sentence natural and focused on the affected object. Option A awkwardly states "by someone unknown", which is redundant since omitting the agent already implies it isn't known or isn't important. Option C uses the active-looking "dropped" without an auxiliary, making it read as if the database performed the action itself, and clumsily adds "by an unknown person" afterward. Option D produces an ungrammatical structure with "by unknown" used as if it were a complete phrase, which is not standard English.
2 / 26
Which sentence correctly omits the agent because it is obvious from context and would be redundant to state?
"The pull request was merged into the main branch" is correct: since the reviewer's identity is either irrelevant to the report or already clear from surrounding context, the agentless passive keeps the focus on the action and its result. Option A restates the obvious agent ("by the reviewer who approved it"), which adds redundant, unnecessary information the passive is specifically designed to omit. Option C incorrectly implies the pull request acted autonomously ("by itself"), which misrepresents the process, since a pull request cannot merge itself. Option D leaves an ungrammatical, unresolved question word "whom" inside a statement, which only makes sense as an actual question.
3 / 26
Which sentence correctly INCLUDES the agent because it is essential new information the reader needs?
"...was patched by the security team, not by the vendor as originally assumed" is correct: here the agent is the key new or contrastive information (correcting an earlier assumption), so it must be stated explicitly with "by", and the sentence maintains standard passive structure with the auxiliary "was" plus past participle. Option A omits the agent entirely, losing the important contrastive fact the sentence is built to convey. Option C drops the auxiliary "was", leaving an ungrammatical fragment that reads as a noun phrase rather than a full passive clause. Option D has awkward, non-standard punctuation and drops the required "by" before "vendor", breaking the parallel structure of the contrast.
4 / 26
Which sentence correctly uses an agentless passive in a formal technical report to keep focus on the process rather than the performer?
"Unit tests are run automatically before every deployment" is correct: in formal process documentation, the agentless passive is standard for describing routine, automated procedures where naming a specific performer would be unnatural or unnecessary. Option B illogically mixes an active subject "someone" with a stray "by the CI pipeline", creating a confusing double-agent structure. Option C adds an oddly vague and unnecessary agent, "by a person", when the whole point is that the process is automated and agentless. Option D tacks on the awkward, informal phrase "done by nobody in particular", which is redundant and stylistically inappropriate for a technical report.
5 / 26
A postmortem doc needs to state that the root cause is still unconfirmed. Which sentence correctly uses the agentless passive for this purpose?
"The root cause has not yet been identified" is correct: this agentless present perfect passive appropriately signals that an identification process is incomplete without needing to name who is responsible for it, which fits the tentative, ongoing nature of a postmortem investigation. Option B adds a vague, unnecessary agent phrase ("by whoever is investigating it") that adds no useful information and undermines the concise, agentless style postmortems favor. Option C switches to an awkward active structure with the redundant phrase "by unknown means", which doesn't logically modify "identified". Option D omits the auxiliary "has", leaving an incomplete, ungrammatical passive construction.
6 / 26
Sarah was experiencing intermittent errors with the authentication service. During a code review, another developer asked: 'Can you investigate why the service is failing to respond?'. Which of the following responses best reflects technical documentation using an agentless passive?This question tests understanding of when to omit the agent. The scenario describes an ongoing investigation, and the focus is on *what* happened (the service failing) rather than *who* was responsible for initially noticing or diagnosing it. Option 2 correctly uses the agentless passive – 'The authentication service experienced intermittent timeouts' – directly stating the problem without assigning blame or focusing on a specific individual. Options A and B introduce unnecessary detail about the investigator, while option D shifts focus to an intermediary and doesn't utilize the agentless passive effectively.
7 / 26
John triggered a rollback on the database due to a failed deployment. In a Slack message summarizing the incident, which of the following options best describes the situation using agentless passive voice?
Option A: The database was rolled back by John.
Option B:
A rollback was initiated on the database by John.
Option C:
A rollback was triggered on the database.
Option D:
John initiated a rollback on the database.This question tests understanding of when to use agentless passive. Option A and D both explicitly state *who* performed the action (John), which is unnecessary and potentially redundant in technical communication. While option B includes 'by John', it's still overly verbose for a Slack message. Option C,
A rollback was triggered on the database, correctly uses the agentless passive to focus on the event itself—the rollback—without drawing attention to the actor, which is typical for incident summaries.8 / 26
DevOps is reporting a spike in failed deployments. In a PR description for the automated pipeline update, which of the following uses an agentless passive most effectively to convey the issue? 'The build process failed due to an unexpected error.'
This scenario focuses on clearly communicating technical details in a PR description. Option 1 correctly employs the agentless passive construction – 'the build process failed' – prioritizing the outcome over the actor. The other options introduce unnecessary agents or awkward phrasing that detracts from the concise and professional tone expected in development documentation. Using the agentless passive here emphasizes the *result* of the failure, which is typically more important to developers than knowing *who* triggered it.
9 / 26
DevOps reported a significant increase in failed API calls to the payment gateway. During a daily standup update, Mark stated: 'We're seeing a high volume of transactions being rejected. We need to investigate the root cause.' Which of the following sentences best reflects the technical documentation describing this issue using agentless passive voice?
This question tests understanding of when to use agentless passive for ongoing processes. The incorrect options include explicitly stating 'by the payment gateway' which is redundant and unnecessary in this context – the focus should be on the *effect* (rejections) rather than who or what caused them. Agentless passive allows us to describe the action without assigning responsibility, highlighting a problem that needs investigation, as Mark clearly indicates he intends to do.
10 / 26
Sarah was experiencing intermittent errors with the authentication service. During a code review, another developer asked: 'Can you investigate why the service is failing to respond?'. Which of the following responses best reflects technical documentation using an agentless passive?This question tests understanding of when to omit the agent. The scenario describes an ongoing investigation, and the focus is on *what* happened (the service failing) rather than *who* was responsible for initially noticing or diagnosing it. Option 2 correctly uses the agentless passive – 'The authentication service experienced intermittent timeouts' – directly stating the problem without assigning blame or focusing on a specific individual. Options A and B introduce unnecessary detail about the investigator, while option D shifts focus to an intermediary and doesn't utilize the agentless passive effectively.
11 / 26
John triggered a rollback on the database due to a failed deployment. In a Slack message summarizing the incident, which of the following options best describes the situation using agentless passive voice?
Option A: The database was rolled back by John.
Option B:
A rollback was initiated on the database by John.
Option C:
A rollback was triggered on the database.
Option D:
John initiated a rollback on the database.This question tests understanding of when to use agentless passive. Option A and D both explicitly state *who* performed the action (John), which is unnecessary and potentially redundant in technical communication. While option B includes 'by John', it's still overly verbose for a Slack message. Option C,
A rollback was triggered on the database, correctly uses the agentless passive to focus on the event itself—the rollback—without drawing attention to the actor, which is typical for incident summaries.12 / 26
DevOps is reporting a spike in failed deployments. In a PR description for the automated pipeline update, which of the following uses an agentless passive most effectively to convey the issue? 'The build process failed due to an unexpected error.'
This scenario focuses on clearly communicating technical details in a PR description. Option 1 correctly employs the agentless passive construction – 'the build process failed' – prioritizing the outcome over the actor. The other options introduce unnecessary agents or awkward phrasing that detracts from the concise and professional tone expected in development documentation. Using the agentless passive here emphasizes the *result* of the failure, which is typically more important to developers than knowing *who* triggered it.
13 / 26
DevOps reported a significant increase in failed API calls to the payment gateway. During a daily standup update, Mark stated: 'We're seeing a high volume of transactions being rejected. We need to investigate the root cause.' Which of the following sentences best reflects the technical documentation describing this issue using agentless passive voice?
This question tests understanding of when to use agentless passive for ongoing processes. The incorrect options include explicitly stating 'by the payment gateway' which is redundant and unnecessary in this context – the focus should be on the *effect* (rejections) rather than who or what caused them. Agentless passive allows us to describe the action without assigning responsibility, highlighting a problem that needs investigation, as Mark clearly indicates he intends to do.
14 / 26
Sarah was experiencing intermittent errors with the authentication service. During a code review, another developer asked: 'Can you investigate why the service is failing to respond?'. Which of the following responses best reflects technical documentation using an agentless passive?This question tests understanding of when to omit the agent. The scenario describes an ongoing investigation, and the focus is on *what* happened (the service failing) rather than *who* was responsible for initially noticing or diagnosing it. Option 2 correctly uses the agentless passive – 'The authentication service experienced intermittent timeouts' – directly stating the problem without assigning blame or focusing on a specific individual. Options A and B introduce unnecessary detail about the investigator, while option D shifts focus to an intermediary and doesn't utilize the agentless passive effectively.
15 / 26
John triggered a rollback on the database due to a failed deployment. In a Slack message summarizing the incident, which of the following options best describes the situation using agentless passive voice?
Option A: The database was rolled back by John.
Option B:
A rollback was initiated on the database by John.
Option C:
A rollback was triggered on the database.
Option D:
John initiated a rollback on the database.This question tests understanding of when to use agentless passive. Option A and D both explicitly state *who* performed the action (John), which is unnecessary and potentially redundant in technical communication. While option B includes 'by John', it's still overly verbose for a Slack message. Option C,
A rollback was triggered on the database, correctly uses the agentless passive to focus on the event itself—the rollback—without drawing attention to the actor, which is typical for incident summaries.16 / 26
DevOps is reporting a spike in failed deployments. In a PR description for the automated pipeline update, which of the following uses an agentless passive most effectively to convey the issue? 'The build process failed due to an unexpected error.'
This scenario focuses on clearly communicating technical details in a PR description. Option 1 correctly employs the agentless passive construction – 'the build process failed' – prioritizing the outcome over the actor. The other options introduce unnecessary agents or awkward phrasing that detracts from the concise and professional tone expected in development documentation. Using the agentless passive here emphasizes the *result* of the failure, which is typically more important to developers than knowing *who* triggered it.
17 / 26
DevOps reported a significant increase in failed API calls to the payment gateway. During a daily standup update, Mark stated: 'We're seeing a high volume of transactions being rejected. We need to investigate the root cause.' Which of the following sentences best reflects the technical documentation describing this issue using agentless passive voice?
This question tests understanding of when to use agentless passive for ongoing processes. The incorrect options include explicitly stating 'by the payment gateway' which is redundant and unnecessary in this context – the focus should be on the *effect* (rejections) rather than who or what caused them. Agentless passive allows us to describe the action without assigning responsibility, highlighting a problem that needs investigation, as Mark clearly indicates he intends to do.
18 / 26
Sarah was experiencing intermittent errors with the authentication service. During a code review, another developer asked: 'Can you investigate why the service is failing to respond?'. Which of the following responses best reflects technical documentation using an agentless passive?This question tests understanding of when to omit the agent. The scenario describes an ongoing investigation, and the focus is on *what* happened (the service failing) rather than *who* was responsible for initially noticing or diagnosing it. Option 2 correctly uses the agentless passive – 'The authentication service experienced intermittent timeouts' – directly stating the problem without assigning blame or focusing on a specific individual. Options A and B introduce unnecessary detail about the investigator, while option D shifts focus to an intermediary and doesn't utilize the agentless passive effectively.
19 / 26
John triggered a rollback on the database due to a failed deployment. In a Slack message summarizing the incident, which of the following options best describes the situation using agentless passive voice?
Option A: The database was rolled back by John.
Option B:
A rollback was initiated on the database by John.
Option C:
A rollback was triggered on the database.
Option D:
John initiated a rollback on the database.This question tests understanding of when to use agentless passive. Option A and D both explicitly state *who* performed the action (John), which is unnecessary and potentially redundant in technical communication. While option B includes 'by John', it's still overly verbose for a Slack message. Option C,
A rollback was triggered on the database, correctly uses the agentless passive to focus on the event itself—the rollback—without drawing attention to the actor, which is typical for incident summaries.20 / 26
DevOps is reporting a spike in failed deployments. In a PR description for the automated pipeline update, which of the following uses an agentless passive most effectively to convey the issue? 'The build process failed due to an unexpected error.'
This scenario focuses on clearly communicating technical details in a PR description. Option 1 correctly employs the agentless passive construction – 'the build process failed' – prioritizing the outcome over the actor. The other options introduce unnecessary agents or awkward phrasing that detracts from the concise and professional tone expected in development documentation. Using the agentless passive here emphasizes the *result* of the failure, which is typically more important to developers than knowing *who* triggered it.
21 / 26
DevOps reported a significant increase in failed API calls to the payment gateway. During a daily standup update, Mark stated: 'We're seeing a high volume of transactions being rejected. We need to investigate the root cause.' Which of the following sentences best reflects the technical documentation describing this issue using agentless passive voice?
This question tests understanding of when to use agentless passive for ongoing processes. The incorrect options include explicitly stating 'by the payment gateway' which is redundant and unnecessary in this context – the focus should be on the *effect* (rejections) rather than who or what caused them. Agentless passive allows us to describe the action without assigning responsibility, highlighting a problem that needs investigation, as Mark clearly indicates he intends to do.
22 / 26
During a Slack conversation regarding a sudden increase in error reports from the user authentication service, Alex stated: 'The service is consistently returning 500 errors.' Which of the following options best exemplifies the use of agentless passive voice in this context? This highlights a common technical issue requiring immediate attention.
Agentless passive describes actions performed *on* a system or service without explicitly naming the actor. 'The service is generating excessive 500 errors' directly reflects this – the service itself is performing the action of generating errors. Options B and C focus on the user's experience, while option D uses more general language.
23 / 26
A developer, David, wrote a PR description for an automated deployment pipeline update. He wanted to concisely describe a failure. Which of the following sentences best utilizes agentless passive voice to accurately convey the issue? 'The deployment failed due to network connectivity problems.'
Agentless passive focuses on the *result* of an action without assigning responsibility. 'The build process failed because of network errors' describes what happened to the build process, without stating who or what caused it. This is more precise and professional than options A, B and C.
24 / 26
During a standup meeting, Emily reported: 'The database server is consistently timing out when processing large data sets.' Which of the following best demonstrates the application of agentless passive voice in this situation? This requires immediate attention to improve performance.
Agentless passive emphasizes the effect experienced by the system (the timeout) rather than attributing it to a specific cause. 'The database server is consistently timing out…' clearly indicates that the *server* is experiencing this issue, aligning with the definition of agentless passive.
25 / 26
Another developer, Fiona, was reviewing code related to a microservice. She noticed intermittent failures in service response times. She asked: 'Why is the service failing to respond?' Which of the following responses demonstrates the most effective use of agentless passive voice? This requires immediate attention.
Agentless passive focuses on the *behavior* of the service – its failure to respond. 'The service intermittently fails to respond' directly describes this state without assigning blame or identifying a specific actor. Options B, C and D shift the focus to the user's experience or a general observation.
26 / 26
A system administrator, George, is investigating an issue where transactions are failing in the payment gateway. He observed: 'The API calls to the gateway are being rejected.' Which of the following best exemplifies the use of agentless passive voice here? This requires immediate attention.
Agentless passive describes what *happens* to the API calls – they're being rejected – without stating who or what is doing the rejecting. 'The API calls to the gateway are being rejected' accurately reflects this process and is more precise than options A, B and C.
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