Name: ______________________________
Point of View Worksheet 6

Directions: Read the following passages and determine the narrative perspective, then explain how you were able to identify the point of view. 

Narrative Perspective (point of view): first-person, second-person, third-person

1. The Great Pizza Fight by Lester Peterson

Vince held the slice of pepperoni pizza in his palm as the cheese dripped through his fingers. He didn't know what to do. The cafeteria was afire with slices of pizza flying through the air. Splat! A greasy slice of sausage splattered on Vince's table. The sauce splashed up and hit his friend R.J. in the chest. "Ugh!" R.J. shouted as he fell into Vince's arms. "I'm hit, Vince!"

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

2. Cool Breeze on a Hot Day by Amy Scott

"Ice cream! Ice cream!" I heard the street vendor shouting as he pushed his cart down the block. Ice cream sounded really tasty on a day like this. I plunged my hands into my pockets and examined the contents: one pair of house keys, a pack of gum that was almost empty, and a few coins. I pulled the coins from my pockets and counted them. It didn't take long. 46 cents. I saw a line of children from the neighborhood in front of the street vendor. Each walked away happier than the former. My mouth tasted like hot ashes. 

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

3. Growing Tomatoes by Luke Pitts

Your tomato plants may be resilient, but there are a couple things that you can do to help them grow rich and lush. First, you should water the tomato plant in the morning. Tomatoes grow best when they can aspirate, or drink water, all day in the sun. If you water them at night, they will have a harder time releasing excess water. Second, you should give them the correct amount of water. Follow the chart on page 67 to determine how much water you should give your tomato plants.

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

4. Great Dane by Wilma Walker

The dog slobbered his huge tongue up Alice's face, leaving behind a sticky trail. "Yuck!" Alice shouted while wiping the slobber from off of her brow. Alice didn't like the dog that her parents got her. She had wanted a cute little dog that could sit in her lap and wear tiny sweaters, not a great big hound that knocked over her dolls with its tail and left drool puddles everywhere. "Go away!" Alice shouted at the great hulking beast. If the dog understood what she was saying, he didn't seem to show it.

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

5. Secret Agent Gomez by Pedro Jimenez 

"Shhh!" Gomez silenced his companion as the car pulled into the driveway. She was only ten but she knew the ropes and stopped talking immediately. The driver got out of the car. He was a tall man in his 40s with a thin mustache. He matched the description of the man that they were looking for. "That's the target," Gomez whispered. "I'll distract him. You put this under his car," Gomez told the girl, handing her a small magnetic tracking device. 

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

6. Jack of Diamonds by Perry Rigby 

"Jack! Don't forget your coat," Mom shouted down the stairs. "Already wearing it, Mom! Love you!" I shouted back while stepping through the front door. The wind whipped across the street tossing a light spiral of snow through the air. My coat was already zipped, but I pulled it up as high as it would go and buttoned the top buttons. It was just that kind of day. A large snowplow came crashing down the street, sparks flying off of the steel plow as it scrapped the asphalt.

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

7. Mary the Magnificent by Carol Dunning 

"Presto chango!" I shouted as I stuffed my hand in to the tall black hat on the table and felt around for something fluffy. "Abracadabra!" I blurted out hesitantly as I continued probing around the hat for the rabbit. "Ta-da!" I said, as if hoping that the words would actually make the bunny appear in the hat, but it was all in vain. The bunny was gone and my show was over, but there I was standing on the stage mumbling pointless incantations. 

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

8. Revenge of the Mummy's Tomb by Bruce Romani 
The tomb is dark and dank. Your lantern flutters on the verge of extinguishing as you walk toward the final resting place of King Ramses. As the dim light from your lantern hits the surface of the sarcophagus, the gold glints in your eyes. The handle of the sarcophagus is right in reach. Suddenly you hear the sound of footsteps. There are at least four people running toward you. If you want to hide inside of the sarcophagus, turn to page 76. If you want to run away, turn to page 114. 

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

9. Laser Commandos Part 5: Out of Orbit by Roderick Wellston 
Rip flipped the switches on the booster pack. The engines roared and flared as he soared through the depths of space. "I don't know about this," Rip said into his headset. A voice dotted with static replied through the earphones, "Rip, you are the only one close enough to stop them." Rip looked at the laser cannons on the menacing alien craft, and then he spoke into his headset, "Yeah, ok, but I really don't know about this. How am I supposed to take out a Gorlak warship with a laser pistol?" He waited for a reply. After an awkward silence a single word returned through his earphones, "Improvise." Rip shook his head.

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

10. Tips for Classroom Survival by Josh Jordan
You pretty much never want to be stuck in school during the summer months, but sometimes it happens. When it does you’ll find that staying cool becomes very important. Hopefully you go to a nice school with air conditioning, but even that breaks down sometimes. So, take a piece of paper and lay it on your desk. Turn it on its side so that the red margin line is at the top. Now fold the paper on the left side about a quarter of an inch. Flip the paper over and fold it the other direction another quarter of an inch. Flip back and fold again. If you are doing it correctly, you be giving the paper an accordion fold, so that it can grow and shrink. When you have folded the entire paper in this manner, you will have a fan that may help you stay cool. Just be careful, if the air is warmer than 98.6 degrees, you will find that the air will not cool you.

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

11. Kick Flip: The Story of Steve Stable
“I got this. Watch me now!” Steve said as hopped on the board. Several other skaters were scattered around the staircase, licking their wounds. The rail was too high and the gap was too wide, but not for Steve. He ollied effortlessly from the ground to the bench, catching his board on the edge of the bench, and then bounced off the bench on to the rail. The other skaters dropped their jaws. Steve looked like he was affected by gravity differently than the rest of them. 

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

12. Rain in the Desert by G. Fields 
We weren’t used to this much activity. We grew up in a place where there were no cars. There were no neighbors. For the last twelve years it was just me, my sister, and my dad. We lived in the hills alone, but now we were in the city. Having never seen a city before, my sister and I were awestruck. Trolleys whizzed, cars sputtered, bikes zigged, pedestrians chatted, and the roads were lined with buildings that stretched into the sky. 

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

13. Emma’s Bakery by Callie Court
Emma looked at the cookies. She knew that something was wrong with them. They just didn’t look right. It’s not that the cookies weren’t the proper size or shape. They were perfectly round and even the chocolate chips seemed evenly distributed. It was something else, something in the texture. Emma struggled to break one of the cookies in half. It wouldn’t break. She strained and strained but the cookie was harder than a brick. Emma tossed the cookie into the wastebasket with a loud thud. Glass shattered when it hit the bottom of the can. Emma put her head into her palm and sighed.

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

14. The Golden Falcon by Nicholas Barry 
Brrrrring! Danny was in the shower when he heard the phone ringing. “Oh no!” He shouted to himself as he got out of the shower without turning off the water. He grabbed a towel and threw it around himself without properly drying. Water streamed behind him as he darted toward the kitchen. Brrrring! The phone continued to ring as Danny slipped on the kitchen tiles and landed on his hip. “Ow! My hip!” Danny struggled to get to his feet and grabbed the phone off of the counter just as it stopped ringing. 

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer

15. 1001 Deserts by Coli Luzietti
If you want to win over your friends and family with a surefire treat, you’ll love this toffee recipe. First, you take two cups of sugar and two cups of butter. Add them to a medium saucepan on medium heat. Melt the butter and the sugar and mix together, stirring the whole time. Once the mixture begins to boil, you can stir less frequently. As the mixture cooks it will begin to change colors from a light manila to a darker brown. As the mixture transforms into a shade of amber and is about 160 degrees, it is done cooking. Pour the mixture on a cookie sheet and place it in the refrigerator. Let it cool for about an hour and you’ll have yourself some of the world’s freshest and most delicious toffee. Enjoy!

Narrator’s Point of View: ___________________________________________________________

Explain your Answer