Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumNarrative Technique and Point of View

In a passage from a narrative text, the narrator recounts:

'The villagers gathered under the ancient baobab tree, whispering about the stranger who had arrived at dawn. Amaka stood near the edge of the crowd, her heart pounding with a mixture of hope and fear, wondering if he brought news of her brother. Meanwhile, across the square, Okeke watched the scene with deep suspicion, convinced the man was a fraud sent to deceive them.'

Which narrative point of view is demonstrated in this passage?

  1. Third-person omniscient point of viewAnswer
  2. B
    Third-person limited point of view
  3. C
    First-person participant point of view
  4. D
    Objective dramatic point of view

Answer

Third-person omniscient point of view
The passage employs a third-person omniscient point of view because an external narrative voice penetrates the minds of multiple characters—describing Amaka's internal hope and fear as well as Okeke's internal suspicion—without being a character in the events.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the narrative pronoun perspective used by the narrator
The narrator uses third-person pronouns ('her', 'he', 'them') to describe the characters.
This establishes that the narrator is not speaking as a character inside the story using first-person pronouns.
2
Analyze the extent of the narrator's access to internal character states
The narrator reveals Amaka's internal feelings ('hope and fear', 'wondering') as well as Okeke's internal thoughts ('deep suspicion', 'convinced').
Accessing the private thoughts and emotions of more than one character indicates an all-knowing perspective.
3
Synthesize the findings to determine the specific point of view
The combination of third-person pronouns and multi-character internal access defines the third-person omniscient point of view.
Omniscient narrators hold an all-seeing perspective unrestricted by time or individual character boundaries.

Key Concept

Third-person omniscient narration involves an all-knowing narrator outside the story who has access to the thoughts, emotions, and motivations of multiple characters.
Rate this question

Topics

Narrative Technique and Point of View

More questions from this topic