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Difficulty: MediumIdentification of Narrative Point of View and Style

Read the excerpt below carefully:

"The iron gate groaned as Chief Ebuka stepped into the overgrown courtyard. He observed the crumbling pillars and the faded crest of his ancestors with a sense of profound betrayal. Unbeknownst to him, his eldest son was watching his every move from behind the curtain upstairs, clutching the forged title deed."

Statement: The passage is written from a third-person omniscient point of view.

Answer: Answer

Answer

True. The narrative employs a third-person omniscient perspective as it discloses actions hidden from the main character's view.
The statement is correct because the narrator demonstrates omniscience by reporting actions occurring simultaneously outside Chief Ebuka's knowledge and sight line.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the narrative pronouns used in the passage.
The text uses third-person pronouns ('Chief Ebuka', 'He', 'his') rather than first-person ('I', 'we').
This establishes that the narrator is outside the story as a third-person narrator.
2
Examine the scope of the narrator's knowledge and perception.
The narrator knows Chief Ebuka's feelings ('sense of profound betrayal') and explicitly states what is happening beyond Ebuka's perception ('Unbeknownst to him, his eldest son was watching... clutching the forged title deed').
Access to simultaneous events and undisclosed actions proves the narrator is omniscient rather than limited to a single character's vantage point.
3
Evaluate the statement's validity based on the narrative technique identified.
Since the narrator exhibits all-knowing access to both character feelings and unseen external actions, the claim that it uses a third-person omniscient point of view is true.
The defining feature of third-person omniscience is complete knowledge of events and internal states beyond any single character's awareness.

Key Concept

Identification of Narrative Point of View (Third-Person Omniscient vs. Limited)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Identification of Narrative Point of View and Style

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