Question

Read the excerpt from chapter 25 of The Awakening.

She did not perceive that she was talking like her father as the sleek geldings ambled in review before them. She played for very high stakes, and fortune favored her. The fever of the game flamed in her cheeks and eyes, and it got into her blood and into her brain like an intoxicant. People turned their heads to look at her, and more than one lent an attentive ear to her utterances, hoping thereby to secure the elusive but ever-desired "tip." Arobin caught the contagion of excitement which drew him to Edna like a magnet.
Which best describes the narrative voice in the excerpt?
The author uses a character in the story as a narrator to illustrate Edna’s magnetic personality.
The author uses a character in the story as a narrator to illustrate the nervousness felt by the gamblers.
The author uses an omniscient narrator to reveal the thoughts and motivations of multiple characters.
The author uses an omniscient narrator to provide background information about the geldings at the race.

Answer 1

The option which best describes the narrative voice in the excerpt is:

C. The author uses an omniscient narrator to reveal the thoughts and motivations of multiple characters.

Step-by-step explanation:

By Kate Chopin, the novel "The Awakening" is narrated from a third-person omniscient perspective. This type of narrator has unlimited knowledge concerning the feelings and thoughts of any of the characters. In the particular passage we are analyzing here, the author uses the narrator to give readers an insight of what different characters are thinking and what their motivations are. We get a glimpse of Edna's excitement, of Arobin's attraction, of other people's intention to "secure the elusive but ever-desired 'tip'." Therefore, we can safely say that:

C. The author uses an omniscient narrator to reveal the thoughts and motivations of multiple characters.