Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardNarrative Point of View and Perspective

Read the prose excerpt below:

"Mama Tobi stopped mid-stride along the narrow path to the stream, her mind racing with quiet anxiety as she stared at the folded paper by the cassava patch. She wondered if her son had departed for the city without saying goodbye. Unbeknownst to her, Pa Dennis watched her from behind the fence, harboring a secret sense of guilt over the letter he had planted there an hour earlier."

Which narrative point of view is demonstrated in the passage?

  1. Third-person omniscient perspectiveAnswer
  2. B
    Third-person limited perspective
  3. C
    First-person peripheral perspective
  4. D
    Second-person narrative perspective

Answer

Third-person omniscient perspective
The passage employs an all-knowing narrator who moves freely between the minds of different characters, revealing Mama Tobi's internal feelings and Pa Dennis's secret feelings and past actions.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the pronouns and narrative stance in the passage.
The narrative uses third-person pronouns ('she', 'her', 'he') rather than first-person ('I') or second-person ('you').
Determines the primary grammatical person of the narrator.
2
Examine the extent of narrative focalization across characters.
The narrator reveals Mama Tobi's internal thoughts ('wondered if her son had departed') as well as Pa Dennis's unexpressed emotions ('harboring a secret sense of guilt').
Distinguishes third-person limited (restricted to one focal character) from third-person omniscient (all-knowing access to multiple characters).
3
Synthesize findings to classify the point of view.
Because the narrator possesses all-knowing insight into the internal states of multiple characters, the point of view is third-person omniscient.
Matches the narrative characteristics to the literary definition of omniscient perspective.

Key Concept

Third-person omniscient point of view
Rate this question

Topics

Narrative Point of View and Perspective

More questions from this topic