Revising the sentence 'Pessimism is smart; by expecting the worst you are able to plan for trouble and avoid it.' into an active sentence yields 'By expecting the worst, pessimists smartly plan for trouble and avoid it,', which makes the action clear and direct.
The revision that transforms the sentence 'Pessimism is smart; by expecting the worst you are able to plan for trouble and avoid it.' into an active sentence could be expressed as follows: 'By expecting the worst, pessimists smartly plan for trouble and avoid it.' This version emphasizes the action and specifies who is doing the action, making it active. Instead of having an abstract quality ('Pessimism') perform an action, the revised sentence clearly attributes the action to a specific actor ('pessimists').
It's important to note that the original sentence presents a definite viewpoint, equating pessimism with intelligence because it leads to caution and preparedness for potential difficulties. Active voice tends to make statements more direct and forceful, and this is a prime example of how switching from passive to active voice can make an argument clearer and more compelling.