"be able to" followed by the passive voice? (edited version)

[maoyueh]

Which of the following sentences is correct? Thank you most sincerely.

A. Chinese farmers were loud talkers. Even working far away in the rice fields, they
were able to be heard.
B. Chinese farmers were loud talkers. Even working far away in the rice fields, they
could be heard.

[5jj]

Both are correct, but they could have different meanings.

A. Chinese farmers were loud talkers. Even working far away in the rice fields, they
were able to be heard.
This could mean that that they were capable of speaking loudly enough for others working in the rice fields to hear them
B. Chinese farmers were loud talkers. Even working far away in the rice fields, they
could be heard.
This could mean that the write of the sentence managed to hear them, even though he was far away from the rice fields.