Name: ____________________________
Point of View Worksheet 20

Directions: determine from which perspective the passage is narrated. If it is third-person, circle each time characters' thoughts or feelings are narrated. Explain your answers in the box.

Viewpoints: first-person, second-person, third-person objective, third-person limited, and third-person omniscient.

1.  Brian could not bear to be on the roof of the skyscraper any longer. He wasn't usually afraid of heights, but the wind was so strong and Rufus kept messing with him. "Would you try to land on your feet or your head?" Rufus asked with a straight face. Rufus could tell that he was getting to Brian, which only encouraged him to keep going. "Let's go look over the edge, Brian," suggested Rufus, knowing full well that Brian would refuse.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

2.  The stars were burning brightly in the night sky. The evening breeze felt cool on my skin. It was the last night of summer break and I was calm, oddly calm. It's not that I was excited to go back to school. I wasn't. School is a lot of work for me. But I was excited to see my friends again, and I knew that she would be there.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

3.  It was noon. The sun was high in the blue sky. The air was filled with the sounds of lawn mowers and birds chirping. A door opened. A young boy walked outside. A woman's voice could be heard from the house yelling, "Wait for me, Michael." The young boy did not wait. He ran to the sidewalk and began jumping. "Yeah! Yeah! Machine gun!" he yelled, pointing an invisible gun in all directions. He took imaginary shots every few seconds and pantomimed the recoil.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

4.  Chad tightened his grip on the rope. He could feel his fingers weakening. "Come on, Chad! Pull! We're losing ground!" shouted his teammate George. Chad gazed at the mud puddle toward which he and George were being dragged. Then he looked up at his opponents. They were screaming something, but Chad couldn't quite hear it. The muscles in his arms and shoulders were tightening. "It's now or never!" George shouted. Chad dug his heels in the dirt and pulled with all his strength.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

5.  Grilling chicken is easy. First, give yourself plenty of time. If the temperature rises much past 350 degrees, you may burn your chicken. So, keep the temperature low, and give yourself plenty of time to cook the chicken. Set your burners on low and leave the chicken on the top rack. Flip your chicken every 15 to 20 minutes. During final twenty minutes of cooking, brush some barbeque sauce on your chicken. Now prepare to eat a delicious meal!

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

6.  Chuck analyzed the engine. With his experienced gaze, he was able to tell that the vehicle needed a fan belt. He figured that the job would take twenty minutes and cost about ten dollars, but he had bills to pay. He summoned the customer over to him with a wave. "Ma'am," he said, "your vehicle needs a new radiator. It's going to take about four hours and cost around five hundred dollars, he lied. The woman smiled. "So I get my car back tonight?" she asked. "That shouldn't be a problem," replied Chuck. The woman, still smiling, said, "Thanks, Chuck. You're a good guy." Chuck felt a little guilty, but he smiled back at her and said, "You're so welcome."

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

7.  Anthony was making a snowman in his front yard. He wanted to make the tallest snowman ever. "Making the tallest snowman ever is hard," he thought to himself. As Anthony rolled the snow around to form huge spheres, Justin was watching him from the bushes. Justin had plans too, only his plans involved karate kicking Anthony's very tall snowman. Justin figured that no snowman deserved to be as tall as Anthony's. Justin stretched in preparation for his attack.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

8.  Sid saw the ball floating through the air. He knew it was coming to him. He positioned himself where he thought it was going to land. Then a large cloud moved in the sky. The sun blazed and Sid couldn't see anything. "Thump!" the ball landed right in front of Sid. Coach yelled across the field, "Pick it up, Sid! Throw it to second." Sid couldn't see the ball in front of him. All he could see were spots. The coach threw his hat on the ground and continued to yell, "Pick it up, Sid!"

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

9.  The stage was bordered with colorful lights but otherwise dark, yet in the center was a single spotlight, and in the center of that was microphone stand. I slowly walked across the stage with my hands by my side. The crowd murmured. I grabbed the microphone from the stand and cleared my throat. Then I held it a few inches from my face and said, "Greetings, my fellow Thunderhawks. Are you ready to get excited for the pep rally?" One guy clapped slowly.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

10. General Brosnan surveyed the enemy forces and gasped at their sheer numbers. He knew that his men were better fighters, every last one of them, but were they that much better? He wanted a second opinion. "Major Miller!" he called to his subordinate, "Take a look at " Major Miller gazed at the throng with concern and said, "Look at all those ugly mugs." Major Miller was also quite surprised by the enemy's numbers, but he felt that today would be as good of a day as any to die.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

11.  It is midnight when you get the call. A crackly voice shouts over your radio. "Officer down! Backup requested." All of the other things that you were thinking have left your mind. Your head is thumping. You arrive at the scene and get out of the cruiser. The air is filled with the syncopated sounds of gunfire. You draw your own weapon and crouch behind your squad car. You have no thoughts in your head. The only thing guiding you is your training.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

12.  The Gorlak raiders surrounded Bruce Hand. The one with the red eye said, "Now we have you, Bruce Hand. Give us the key to your adventure Jeep." Bruce couldn't allow the Gorlak raiders to get their hands on such advanced technology, but they had him surrounded. Fear sank through his heart. Suddenly he had an idea. "Ok," he said, "here's the key." Bruce activated the plasma grenade in his pocket and tossed it at the red-eyed Gorlak raider.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

13.  The Green Fox notched his arrow and pointed it at Sheriff Woodburn. The Sheriff had been in standoffs like this in the past. Sheriff Woodburn did not fear death and he wasn't going to give this masked bandit the privilege of seeing him cower. The Green Fox, however, wasn't going to take any chances with the Sheriff, whom he knew to be a crafty adversary. So the Green Fox said, "Put your hands in the sky, Sheriff." The Green Fox waited for the Sheriff to comply. If the Sheriff resisted this order, the Green Fox was prepared to loose the arrow.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

14. The doorbell rang. Scott bounded down the stairs. He looked through the peephole and then opened the door. The mailman stood there holding a package. "Is your mother or father home?" Scott shook his head back and forth. The mailman handed Scott a bulky scanning device and said, "Sign here, please." Scott grabbed the stylus and scrawled his name.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

15.  The stars seem brighter tonight. The night sky seems deeper. You gaze through the telescope and stare into the wonder of the cosmos. As you turn the focus knob back and forth, something catches your eye. It is appears to be some kind of spacecraft, but it doesn't look like any that you've seen before. It seems more advanced.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

16.  Kelly took her seat in the airplane. There were three seats in her row and, to her dismay, she was assigned the seat in the middle. As the time of departure drew closer, Kelly grew pleased that she was still sitting alone. "Maybe I'll get the whole row to myself," Kelly said under her breath. Just then two tremendously large men approached. "Excuse me, Miss. I have the inside seat." Kelly sighed. She knew where the other person would be seated as well.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

17.  The old man stared at the dog. The dog was sitting on his hindquarters and staring back at the old man. The old man put his hands on his hips. The dog barked. The old man reached behind his back and pulled a leather chew from his back pocket. The dog barked again. The old man smiled and laughed. Then he threw the leather chew toy. The dog bounded after the chew toy in a manner that shook the pictures hanging on the walls. The old man laughed deeply.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

18.  Mr. Davis had his head on his desk. Several children were chasing each other around the classroom. Others were playing on their cell phones. Everyone was chatting loudly, except Mr. Davis. He was groaning with his head on his desk. Tabitha came to him and asked, "Are you ok, Mr. Davis?" Mr. Davis raised his head weakly and replied, "No, Tabitha, I am afraid that I am ill." Tabitha smiled and ran back to her group of friends. "I told you he was sick!" she shouted.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

19.  "There's no way that I'm getting on that," said Latrice, gesturing toward the unicorn. Latrice had never ridden a unicorn. She had always been too afraid that she might fall from the sky or be burned up in a rainbow or something. Cordelia put a hand on Latrice's shoulder and said, "When the Gromlins come, you're going to want to ride one. You may as well learn now without the pressure of Gromlins." Latrice considered the wisdom of this statement and decided that Cordelia was right.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: