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Difficulty: MediumNarrative Techniques and Point of View

Read the prose extract below carefully:

"The traveler sat on the wooden bench, resting his worn briefcase against his boots. He took a silver pocket watch from his coat, checked the time, and wound the stem three times before placing it back. Across the platform, a woman in a blue coat watched the incoming train, her expression unreadable as she folded her hands into her pockets."

Which narrative point of view is employed in the passage above?

  1. Third-person objectiveAnswer
  2. B
    Third-person omniscient
  3. C
    Third-person limited
  4. D
    First-person peripheral

Answer

The passage uses the third-person objective narrative point of view because the narrator records purely external events, movements, and physical details without probing into the internal consciousness or feelings of any character.
The third-person objective point of view functions like a camera lens, reporting only what can be seen and heard externally. In the passage, the narrator presents physical actions—such as checking a watch and folding hands—without disclosing the internal thoughts, motives, or feelings of either character.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the pronouns used by the narrator in the passage.
The narrator uses third-person pronouns ('he', 'his', 'she', 'her'), ruling out first-person narrative modes.
Determining pronoun usage isolates whether the perspective is first-person or third-person.
2
Examine the level of insight provided into characters' thoughts and emotions.
The text describes observable actions (sitting, checking a watch, folding hands) and explicitly states the woman's expression is 'unreadable', revealing zero internal thoughts.
Evaluating internal access differentiates omniscient, limited, and objective third-person perspectives.
3
Match the observed characteristics to the correct narrative technique.
A third-person narrator presenting only external, camera-like observation employs the third-person objective point of view.
The dramatic/objective point of view reports actions without interpreting internal motives or feelings.

Key Concept

Third-Person Objective Point of View
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Topics

Narrative Techniques and Point of View

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