Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow…
2021
Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate options :
The very nature of the mind is restlessness. It cannot stay at one place or hold one thought for long. For every thought that appears, there are comments, judgements and associations. Thinking is a continuous activity with the mind jumping from one thought to another from morning till night. Like clouds in the sky or waves in the ocean, thoughts appear and disappear as if in ceaseless activity.
However, all thoughts that pass through our mind do not affect us. But we get affected when our ego is hit. Then the mind whirls and creates a tornado of restlessness within. A variety of probable scenarios crop up 'how dare he insult me; what does she think of herself ? Where I am not respected, I will not go; if he speaks thus, I will reply so'. And so it goes on and on.
We have an inbuilt filter in our mind which chooses the types of thoughts or subjects that we like to brood upon. We are not born with this filter but we acquire it over the years with the kind of books we read, the company we keep and the subjects we are interested in.
That is why some people are obsessed with football, cricket or fashion while others could not care less for such things. This filter is built day by day by our actions, suggestions, teachings and influence of others. We can ultimately choose our own filter. So let us learn to build our filter wisely and strengthen it daily.
Which part of speech is the underlined word in the following expression?
'But we get affected'
- A.
Verb
- B.
Adjective
- C.
Adverb
- D.
Particle
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept: When "get" is followed by a verb's past-participle (V3) form, the pair forms that verb's passive — the "get-passive" — built the same way as "be + V3" (e.g., "get affected" ~ "is affected"). Because "get" can also take a plain adjective as its complement (e.g., "get tired", "get angry"), the two patterns can look alike on the surface; which one applies in a given sentence is decided by whether the following word is genuinely functioning as that verb's own past-participle, or as a separate, freestanding adjective.
Application: In the clause "we get affected", "get" is the auxiliary and "affected" is the past participle of the verb "affect", together forming the passive verb phrase "get affected" (= "are affected"). The passage itself sets up this exact contrast a sentence earlier — the active form "thoughts ... do not affect us" versus its passive counterpart "we get affected" — confirming that "affected" here is doing the verbal work of the clause, i.e., it is a Verb.
Distinguishing the other options:
"Affected" can indeed function as an adjective, including after "get" itself (e.g., "get tired", "get angry" show that "get" + adjective is a genuine pattern), and can separately carry the lexicalized sense "artificial, pretentious" (e.g., "an affected accent"). Classification here, however, rests on the passage's own evidence: "affected" is the past-participle (V3) of the verb "affect", and the passage sets up an explicit active-to-passive shift of that very verb one sentence earlier — "thoughts ... do not affect us" (active) becoming "we get affected" (passive) — which is decisive here over the free-standing adjectival readings.
Adverb — adverbs are not defined by an "-ly" ending (many, such as "often", "well", or "fast", have none); the real test is whether the word modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. "Affected" modifies no other word in this clause — it does not describe how, when, or where anything happens — so it does not satisfy that test either.
Particle — a particle is a short, invariable function word with no independent meaning of its own (e.g., "to" in a to-infinitive, or "up" in "give up"); "affected" carries full lexical meaning and "get affected" is not a fixed two-word phrasal verb like "get up" or "get by".
Answer: "Affected" is a Verb here (a passive past-participle verb form).