Point of View and Narrator — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. A narrator brags, 'Everyone loves me, even though no one waved back today.' The narrator is most likely:
A) Unreliable, because the actions do not match the narrator's claims
B) Omniscient, knowing every character's secret thoughts
C) A second-person narrator addressing the reader
D) A third-person limited narrator outside the story
When a narrator's words clash with the events, the narrator is unreliable and bends the truth for readers.
2. An author chooses second-person POV in a survival story most likely to:
A) Hide every character's thoughts from the reader
B) Make the reader feel they are facing the danger
C) Tell the story from outside using only names
D) Reveal the thoughts of every animal and person
Second-person POV pulls readers into the action, making them feel they are the one facing the danger.
3. Which line best shows that a narrator is unreliable?
A) Ben quietly closed the gate behind him
B) I never lie, but I forgot to mention the broken window
C) You slip your shoes off at the front door
D) The two friends laughed under the bright moon
An unreliable narrator may say they are honest while leaving out important facts, signaling readers to question them.
4. An author retells the same event from two characters' POVs to:
A) Make the story shorter and simpler
B) Keep the reader outside the story for safety
C) Hide the characters' feelings from readers
D) Show how POV changes meaning and understanding
Retelling from a new POV shows readers how meaning shifts when a different mind tells the same events.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. When a narrator's claims do not match the events, the narrator is unreliable.
Mismatch between a narrator's words and the actions in the story is a strong sign of unreliability.
2. An author chooses POV on purpose to shape the meaning of the story.
Each POV reveals different details, so the author's choice directly shapes the meaning readers take away.
3. Reading a story from the loser's POV may build the reader's sympathy for that character.
A new POV often reveals struggle, which can build sympathy and reshape how readers judge a character.
4. First-person narrators may sound honest, but they are still limited to one character's view.
First-person POV is bound to one character's view, so readers only get part of the full picture.
5. An omniscient narrator helps the author show that small actions can have wide effects.
By showing many characters and places, an omniscient narrator reveals how one action ripples across the story.