Point of View and Narrator — Answer Key
Part A: Fill in the Blank
Write the missing word or number on each line.
1. If Retelling A says I felt my face burn and Retelling B says her cheeks turned red, A uses first person.
First person reports inner sensations directly using I, while third person describes them from outside.
2. Retelling B describes the cheeks from outside, so it is using third person.
Third person uses he, she, or names, so the narrator stands beside or above the action, not inside it.
3. An author who wants to surprise readers with hidden information often uses third-person omniscient.
Omniscient narrators can drop hints from any character's mind, building suspense the hero never feels.
4. An author who wants the reader to question whether a narrator is honest may use first-person unreliable narration.
Unreliable first-person narrators twist or hide events, asking the reader to read between the lines.
5. Switching narrators in a novel is called a point of view shift.
POV shifts mark a clear move from one narrator to another, often signaled by a chapter or section break.
6. A first-person retelling gains intimacy but loses complete knowledge of other characters.
First person trades full information for closeness; the narrator simply cannot know everything everyone thinks.
7. An omniscient retelling gains breadth but can lose emotional closeness with one hero.
Omniscient narration spreads attention widely, so deep emotional bonding with one character can fade.
8. A retelling that shows only what one character sees, hears, and thinks is third-person limited.
Third-person limited stays with a single character, blending outside pronouns with one inner viewpoint.
9. When two retellings of one event differ, the comparison shows how POV shapes the reader's understanding.
Each narrator filters events differently, so the reader's understanding of cause, motive, and feeling changes.
Part B: Matching
Match each item on the left to the correct answer on the right.
1. Match each item to its correct answer.
Show one character's hidden feelings
→ Third-person limited
Third-person limited
Hide a clue from the hero but not the reader
→ Third-person omniscient
Third-person omniscient
Make the reader feel they are inside the story
→ Second person
Second person
Compare two siblings' opposite views
→ Two first-person narrators
Two first-person narrators
Authors choose POV the way photographers choose lenses; each option fits a different storytelling job.