Name: ____________________________
Point of View Worksheet 15

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. Shogga grabbed the sheep by its neck skin and raised it in the air. "Perhaps we will eat sheep tonight," Shogga grunted. Tugo looked at Shogga and said, "No. The shaman protects him. This sheep is to be our luck." Shogga scoffed and said, "Shogga does not believe in magic. Shogga believes in eating." Tugo gently grabbed the stone axe that Shogga was holding and lowered it toward the ground. Then he said, "We need the shaman now, Shogga. We eat later." Shogga grimaced.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

2.  Jean sat in the back of the blues club. He wasn't there to listen to music. He wanted to see Tia. So he sat at a table by himself and waited for her to come to him. "Can I get you something?" said Tia when she finally approached. Jean smiled and said, "Let me get a tonic and a date with you." Tia had heard that one before. She had heard all of them before, but she lived on tips so she smiled and laughed instead of telling him how she really felt.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

3.  Butch dug his spurs into his horse and she kicked up dust. "Giddy up!" he said. I was riding right behind him, but my horse wasn't as fast as his and I was a much less capable rider. "Butch, could you wait up for me?" I asked. He didn't. I kicked my horse and tried to get her to move faster. She whinnied and then bucked me off her. As I landed with my posterior in a mud puddle, Butch laughed. Then he kept riding. "Butch!" I shouted, "Wait up!" He didn't.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

4. Dr. Brando examined the fusion reactor. He knew that one false move could cause the whole system to explode, so he worked carefully. Suddenly, Dr. Manheim walked into the reactor room. Dr. Manheim was just out of college. He neither understood nor appreciated the pressure under which Dr. Brando was working. Dr. Manheim snuck behind Dr. Brando and said, "What's up, Doc?" It was a terrible Bugs Bunny impression. This did not escape Dr. Brando, as he simultaneously focused on keeping everyone in the plant alive.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

5. The children huddled in a circle. The big girl with pigtails said, "Ok, no tag backs, no unfreezes, no safeties." The tallboy sang a melodic tune. Each time he said a new syllable, he pointed at a different child. The tall boy ended the tune by saying, "And... you... are... it!" When he said the last word, he was pointing at a small pale boy. The pale boy's eyes widened. All of the other kids ran in different directions. The pale boy began counting down from 10.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

6.  You are awoken suddenly by a large crashing noise. You look toward the mouth of the cave and see that several boulders have fallen in front of it. More boulders are falling. "Crash!" The light is slowly vanishing. This rockslide has put you in danger of being sealed in this cave. It already may be too late. "Crash!" The opening to the cave is half covered by large boulders now. You can hear more boulders sliding down the mountain face.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

7.  Julie looked down the street. She was relieved that there was no sign of him. She had been running from him since she left school. She did not recognize this strange man. He drove a small silver car and wore a collared shirt. "Who is the guy and why is he following me?" Julie thought to herself. Just then she heard a sputtering sound. She turned around and saw a small silver car. Her heart started beating quickly. She felt afraid.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

8.  Coach Nelson was sitting at his desk and scribbling in his playbook. A uniformed player walked into the office and said, "Coach, can I talk to you for a minute?" Coach Nelson held up one finger and continued scribbling in his playbook. The player looked at his watch. Coach Nelson scribbled. The player said, "Coach?" The coach continued scrawling. The player checked his watch again. Then Coach Nelson laughed and said, "That's it!" Then he scrawled with even greater fervor. The player sighed.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

9.  My mother always told me that I had an overactive imagination, but look at me now. I'm writing Hollywood movies for big budget studios. I drive a fancy red bicycle. I eat so much sushi that I've got tapeworms living in my body. Isn't that something? All of this is due to the power of imagination. If it weren't for my powerful imagination, I wouldn't be able to write all of these ridiculous stories.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

10. Spaceman Spartacus spoke through the communication device in his spacesuit, "Chief Rourke, do you see anything movin' in my vicinity?" Spaceman Spartacus was worried about unidentified creatures ambushing him. He had seen a lot of things in this Universe, and many of those things frightened him. Chief Rourke clicked the radar panel on the monitor. A map came up with several large Xs approaching Spaceman Spartacus. Chief Rourke knew that this meant trouble. He was afraid for his friend so he shouted, "Spartacus! Get out of there now!"

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

11. The car sputters to a stop. You look at the fuel gage. The needle is on E. The next gas station is twelve miles from here. The sun hangs high in the sky. The heat is oppressive. You reach for your bottle of water. It is almost empty. There is nobody else as far as your eye can see. Do you stay by your car and wait for help or do you attempt to walk to the gas station? Turn to page 44 to wait by the car. Turn to page 96 to walk to the gas station.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

12.  Chino heard the birds. This was a good sign. The men had been at sea for over a month. Chino knew that birds meant that land was near. This pleased him greatly. "Captain Oswald!" shouted Chino, "There be birds in the sky!" Captain Oswald stroked his beard. He was pleased with the news but he was more pleased with his beard. It felt smooth and luxurious. "Very good! Very smooth!" replied Captain Oswald. The Captain's words confused Chino.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

13.  Daniel was nervous about going to Patricia's birthday party. He was afraid that he wouldn't know anyone but Patricia, and she would be so busy with her guests. "Mom, I don't want to go to the party." Daniel's mother furrowed her brow and said, "Daniel, we already told her we'd be there. We bought her a present. We have to go and give it to her." Daniel shook his head. He still didn't want to go. His mom put her hand on his shoulder.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

14. "Psssst. Do you know the answer to number nineteen?" a voice whispered behind me. I knew it was Warren. I was not fond of Warren. He was always playing around in class when I was trying to learn. He was always earning our class double homework. He was always spoiling the teacher's lesson so I had to work harder on my own. And now he was asking me for answers? Ha! I would not concede. I replied under my breath, "I don't know," and then offered him the wrong answer, "maybe C?"

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

15. Captain Eagle stood on the top of the flagpole and surveyed his surroundings. He could feel that something was amiss. He looked toward the school, but all seemed calm. He looked toward the strip mall, but all seemed right. Then he saw it. A man wearing a ski mask was robbing an old woman. Captain Eagle knew that this was his big chance to stop a crime. 

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

16.  "Stop right there! You don't have permission to be here," said the security guard as we entered the backroom of the museum. Of course, we did have permission to be there, but he didn't know that. I opened my bag and began rifling through my documents. I replied, "We were sent by the famous explorer Bruce Hand to retrieve the mummy's jewels." I produced a clearance card as well as the certified documents stating our mission. The security guard looked at our documents scrupulously. Then he said, "Right this way, Ma'am."

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

17.  Nancy rolled around in her bed. Her eyes were wide open. She grabbed a pillow and wrapped it around her head tightly. Then she shut her eyes. A minute or two passed. Nancy released her grip on the pillow and rolled the other way. She grabbed the controller off the nightstand and turned on the TV. The program featured a man making thick drinks from fresh fruits. Nancy turned off the TV. She rolled back over the other way and curled the pillow around her head again. The crickets chirped.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

18. Roberto whistled and raised his clenched fist in the air. A few seconds later, a loud shriek could be heard. Then a falcon swooped from the sky and landed on Roberto's arm. Roberto laughed and said, "See? He obeys my commands." Talia nodded. "What does he eat?" she asked. Roberto laughed again and said, "She is a she, and she eats what she catches. Field mice, smaller birds, whatever she can wrap her talons around." Talia nodded again.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: 

19. Bruce Hand admired the radioactive gorilla bound to the auction block. He had never seen an animal glow with such luminescence. He was quite impressed with the specimen. He believed that the gorilla would make a magnificent addition to the menagerie. The sultan, however, would not have it. He insisted that they passed on purchasing the creature. Deep in his heart, the sultan felt that animals should not glow. He believed that the radioactive gorilla was an affront to nature.

Narrator's Perspective: _________________________________________________________________ 

Explain how you know: