In which of the following paired terms, the relationship between the active and passive forms of a sentence can be best established?

Correct option is A

Explanation:

​The correct answer is: (a) Deep structure — Surface structure.

The terms deep structure and surface structure are central to Noam Chomsky’s transformational-generative grammar, a theory of syntax in linguistics.

These concepts help explain how different sentence forms, such as active and passive voice, can share the same underlying meaning while differing in their grammatical construction.

Deep structure refers to the core semantic relations of a sentence — its fundamental syntactic form — which holds the essential meaning.

Surface structure is the outward form that a sentence takes after transformational rules are applied to the deep structure. This is what we actually speak, write, or hear.

For example:

Active voice: “The cat chased the mouse.”

Passive voice: “The mouse was chased by the cat.”

Both sentences convey the same essential meaning but are structured differently. In Chomskyan terms, both derive from the same deep structure, and through transformation rules (like moving the object to the subject position), we derive different surface structures. Thus, the active-passive relationship is a clear instance of how deep structure and surface structure interact.

Information Booster:

Noam Chomsky introduced the concepts of deep and surface structures in the 1950s and 1960s.

Deep structure represents universal grammar — the innate linguistic knowledge shared by all humans.

Transformational rules convert deep structure into surface structure, accounting for syntactic variations.

Active and passive sentences are transformationally related; they share deep structure but have different surface forms.

The idea supports the notion that the mind processes language not just linearly but through abstract mental representations.

Chomsky’s model has influenced fields beyond linguistics, including psycholinguistics, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence.

The distinction highlights how syntax and semantics are interrelated but not always identical.


Additional Knowledge:

Signifier — Signified:

These are terms from Saussurean linguistics, where the signifier is the sound/image (e.g., “tree”) and the signified is the concept (the idea of a tree). This pair deals with semiotics.

Metaphor — Metonymy:

These are figures of speech and rhetorical devices. Metaphor involves substitution based on similarity, while metonymy involves substitution based on association. 

Syntagmatic — Paradigmatic:

These refer to two types of linguistic relationships. Syntagmatic is the linear relationship between words in a sentence, while paradigmatic relates to the choice between alternatives. 
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