Point of View Quiz

What is the POV? "Mia and Destiny climbed onto the bus, excited for the game. Destiny was feeling confident after the last game, while Mia hoped all her practice would pay off."

• Third Person Limited POV

• Third Person Omniscient POV

• Third Person Objective POV

What is the POV? "He knows that he is a great football player. He is proud to have scored the most touchdowns this season."

• Third Person Limited POV

• Third Person Objective POV

• Third Person Omniscient POV

Which sentence is written in second person point of view?

• Erin did not want to go to the grocery store.
  

• You did not want to go to the grocery store.
  

• Mariah did not want to go to the grocery store.
  

• I did not want to go to the grocery store.
  

A ________ narrator can see and describe every character's thoughts.

• first person

• second person

• third person, limited

• third person, omniscient
  

I didn't like creeping down the dark alley. From which point of view is this sentence written?

• first person
  

• second person

• third person, omniscient

• third person, objective
  

Which sentence is written in third person point of view?

• I brought my mother breakfast this morning.
  

• You always wear your seatbelt.

• We didn't mean to hurt Jorge's feelings!
  

• Cynthia and her brother walked home from school this afternoon.
  

When a writer begins a new story, she must decide who will tell the story. Point of view is who tells the story, or the “voice” that the story is told in. It's the place from which a narrator sees and understands what is happening.
Read the following passage.“We’re going to put on a play, Miriam!” Zakir announced, waving his hands in my face. I immediately began to think of what part I’d like to play. I thought at first I’d like to play a witch or a goblin—I’d been working for weeks on an eerie, low-sounding screech that I was sure would steal the show. But I knew Zakir was secretly afraid of things like that—he’d never agree to a play about the occult. And, I remembered, the only audience for the play was our father, and he would quietly reprimand me for being insensitive to my brother’s phobias. I could already hear his gentle scolding. "Don't tease him, Miriam," he would say. I thought of playing a queen, but maybe there wouldn’t be enough to do with that part. Our little sister, Dinah, would probably insist on wearing the house’s toy crown, too. I looked around our living room, spying a pair of green tights doubled down between the couch cushions. A wrestler? Maybe.
What point of view is this passage written in?

• third person limited
  

• third person omniscient
  

• second person
  

• first person
  

In the first person point of view, the narrator is telling a story and is a character in the story. He or she is directly involved in the events that happen. First person narration often uses the pronoun “I”.
Read the following passage.The carousel lurched into life, its jarringly sweet song abruptly sounding through the nearly empty park. A flock of birds startled and scattered across the sky. I called out, “Whoops, sorry!” to the few families waiting for a turn. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” one of the fathers sighed, leading his son away from the creaky ride.
Which detail from the text best indicates that this story is told in the first person?

• 'You've got to be kidding me'...

• “The carousel lurched into life…”

• “I called out, 'Whoops, sorry!'”

• “A flock of birds startled...”

In the third person point of view, the narrator is not a character in the story and exists completely outside of the story. All characters are described as “he,” “she” or “it.” Which of the following is an example of third person point of view?

• You could have worn anything you wanted to this costume party.
  

• I’m probably the only kid in this class who really understands the tuba.
  

• I watched the leaves fall slowly to the ground, swirling in the wind.
  

• He’s not the most generous kid, but he is the bravest.
  

There are three different types of third person point of view: Objective: From this point of view, the narrator isn't a part of the story. He can tell the reader what happens to the characters in the story. But he can't go into their heads and tell what they're thinking and feeling. For example, “Anne and Lisa biked through the park in search of their lost cat.” Limited: Here, the narrator focuses his attention on one character. The reader knows what's going on with the other characters, but knows what one particular character is thinking. For example, “As Anne and Lisa biked through the park in search of their lost cat, Lisa worried they might not find him.” Omniscient: From this point of view, the narrator is all-knowing. He watches all that is happening and can describe the innermost thoughts and feelings of all characters in the story. For example: “Anne felt sure they'd find their cat by sundown, but Lisa thought it might take even longer.” Which of the following sentences is the best example of an omniscient third person point of view?

• Karli was anxious about making the cake, but her brother was more confident—he knew things would go well.
  

• Karli and her brother agreed to make the cake for their father’s wedding and set about buying supplies.
  

• Karli jealously watched her brother frost the cake, certain that he was doing this to annoy her.
  

• He asked if I would be willing to be in charge of desserts, and I said I couldn’t possibly begin to answer that question.