Who operated the ferry crossing?

• A. The ferry was operated by the two store boys.
• B. The ferry crossing used a steam-powered ferry.
• C. The two store boys from the store operated the ferry.
• D. The ferry crossing did not exist.

Answer: (C)

Identifying who performs the action in a sentence. When someone asks who operated the ferry crossing, you look for the agent—the subject doing the verb. The phrasing that names the actor most directly and in active voice is the clearest answer: the two store boys from the store operated the ferry. This makes it explicit who did the action.

If you encounter a statement in passive voice like “The ferry was operated by the two store boys,” it still conveys the same idea, but the version that states the actors plainly and keeps the action in active voice is clearer and more precise for answering “who.” The option about a steam-powered ferry shifts focus to how the ferry works, not who operates it, and the option saying the ferry crossing did not exist contradicts the premise entirely.