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Question

Difficulty: MediumIdentification of Narrative Point of View and Style

Read the unseen prose extract below:

"The old steam engine groaned into the deserted station like a dying beast, belching thick black smoke into the crisp morning air. I watched from behind the wooden crates, holding my breath as two armed guards stepped onto the platform, their eyes scanning the shadows."

Which narrative point of view and dominant literary device used to describe the train are employed in the passage?

  1. First-person narrative point of view with a simileAnswer
  2. B
    First-person narrative point of view with a metaphor
  3. C
    Third-person limited narrative point of view with a simile
  4. D
    Third-person omniscient narrative point of view with a metaphor

Answer

First-person narrative point of view with a simile
The passage is told from the first-person point of view as evidenced by the narrator using 'I' ('I watched...'). Furthermore, the description of the engine as 'groaned into the deserted station like a dying beast' is a simile because it uses the comparative word 'like' to compare the train to an animal.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the narrative point of view
The narrator refers to personal observation using the first-person pronoun 'I' ('I watched from behind...'), establishing a first-person point of view.
First-person perspective is characterized by the narrator's direct involvement using pronouns such as 'I' and 'we'.
2
Identify the literary device describing the train
The train is compared to a 'dying beast' using the explicit comparison word 'like' ('like a dying beast').
A direct comparison using 'like' or 'as' constitutes a simile.
3
Combine the findings to select the correct answer
The narrative perspective is first-person and the literary device is a simile.
Only the combination of first-person perspective and simile correctly reflects both structural elements of the passage.

Key Concept

Identification of Narrative Point of View and Stylistic Devices in Unseen Prose
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Topics

Identification of Narrative Point of View and Style

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