Narrator's or Speaker's Point of View and Perspective Influence on Events

Reminder:

Description, dialogue, and behavior reveal characters to readers.

The passage as a whole is best described as which of the following?

• A dramatic monologue regarding a personal dilemma

• A detailed description of an argument

• A character sketch conveyed through anecdote

• A critique of traditional gender roles

• A poignant epiphany regarding friendship

Reminder:

Changes and inconsistencies in a narrator’s or speaker’s perspective may contribute to irony or the complexity of the text.

The first sentence of the passage suggests that the narrator’s view of Mrs. Bloomfield

• was formed through long familiarity

• is based in certain moral principles

• is influenced by the children

• has shifted on multiple occasions

• has recently changed

Reminder:

The narrators’, characters’, or speakers’ backgrounds and perspectives shape the tone they convey about subjects or events in a text.

Toward the end of the second sentence of the passage (“and express...authority”), the manner in which Mrs. Bloomfield conveys her opinion of the children’s mother is best described as

• systematic

• self-deprecatory

• indirect

• apologetic

• matter-of-fact

Reminder:

Contrasts often represent contradictions or inconsistencies that introduce nuance, ambiguity, or contradiction into a text. As a result, contrasts make texts more complex.

In the fourth sentence of the first paragraph (“Hitherto...untold”), the narrator presents which of the following contrasts regarding Mrs. Bloomfield’s qualities?

• What Mrs. Bloomfield reveals of herself to the narrator versus what she reveals to the children’s mother.

• What the narrator observes of those qualities versus what the narrator is willing to assume.

• What Mrs. Bloomfield knows about those qualities versus what she is unaware of.

• What the narrator conceals about those qualities versus what the narrator discloses about them.

• What the narrator values of those qualities versus what Mrs. Bloomfield values about them.

Reminder:

Changes and inconsistencies in a narrator’s speaker’s perspective may contribute to irony or the complexity of the text.

The parenthetical statement in the fourth sentence of the first paragraph (“of which...perfections”) makes use of

• personification

• repetition

• metaphor

• irony

• hyperbole

Reminder:

Character changes can be visible and external, such as changes to health or wealth, or can be internal, psychological or emotional changes; external changes can lead to internal changes, and vice versa.

The fifth sentence of the first paragraph (“Kindness...of it”) indicates that the narrator has recently

• chosen to end a romantic relationship

• become receptive to the appearance of affection

• become willing to express emotions and opinions

• decided to act on impulse rather than on reason

• adopted a carefree attitude toward life’s challenges

Reminder:

The narrator’s or speaker’s tone toward events or characters in a text influences readers’ interpretation of the ideas associated with those things.

Unlike the rest of the paragraph, the last sentence of the first paragraph (“No wonder...departure”) does which of the following?

• Describes positive attributes

• Expresses uncomplicated emotions

• Portrays the narrator’s difficulties in the household

• Focuses on the narrator’s own attitude

• Provides insight about Mrs. Bloomfield’s flaws

Reminder:

A character’s perspective may shift during the course of a narrative.

The shift between the first and second paragraphs concerns

• Mrs. Bloomfield’s motives

• the narrator’s view of herself

• Mrs. Bloomfield’s view of the narrator’s importance

• the narrator’s regrets

• the narrator’s opinion of Mrs. Bloomfield

Reminder:

Descriptive words, such as adjectives and adverbs, not only qualify or modify the things they describe but also convey a perspective toward those things.

By “luckily, or unluckily,” the narrator implies in the first sentence of the second paragraph that the comments she overheard have made her

• hurt but amused

• mistrustful but flattered

• disillusioned but alerted

• alarmed but resigned

• frightened but vengeful

Reminder:

Descriptive words, such as adjectives and adverbs, not only qualify or modify the things they describe but also convey a perspective toward those things.

In the final sentence of the passage, the narrator hopes that Mrs. Bloomfield is “rather weak than wicked” because the narrator wants to

• think of Mrs. Bloomfield’s behavior as unconscious rather than deliberate

• retain her good opinion of Mrs. Bloomfield rather than forfeit it

• return to her belief in the sincerity of Mrs. Bloomfield’s regard for her

• curry Mrs. Bloomfield’s favor rather than lose it

• view Mrs. Bloomfield as concerned with others rather than self-absorbed