OG Explanation

[ahchan]

This is #45 on the verbal section of the diagnostic test.

In 1923, the Supreme Court declared a minimum wage for women and children in the District of Columbia as unconstitutional, and ruling that it was a form of price-fixing and, as such, an abridgment of the right of contract.

I chose (D)

a minimum wage for women and children in the District of Columbia was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court,

The Official Answer is (C)

the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a minimum wage for women and children in the District of Columbia,

I vaguely understand the explanation given in the guide, but it's still pretty hazy to me. Can someone please clarify? Thanks!

[Stuart@KaplanGMAT]

As a style choice, the GMAT definitely prefers the active voice to the passive voice.

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence is doing the verb.

In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is getting the verb done to it.

For exampe:

I kick the ball. (Active)
The ball is kicked by me. (Passive)

A common sign of the passive voice is the word "by" in the sentence.

In answer (d), the law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court... this is passive.

In answer (c), the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional a minimum wage... this is active.

Both are grammatically correct, (c) is stylistically superior (at least according to the people who create the GMAT, which is all we really care about for test day purposes).