Question

Read the excerpt from The Death of Ivan Ilyitch by Leo Tolstoy. Answer the question that follows.

Ivan Ilych's life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible. He had been a member of the Court of Justice, and died at the age of forty-five. His father had been an official who after serving in various ministries and departments in Petersburg had made the sort of career which brings men to positions from which by reason of their long service they cannot be dismissed, though they are obviously unfit to hold any responsible position, and for whom therefore posts are specially created, which though fictitious carry salaries of from six to ten thousand rubles that are not fictitious, and in receipt of which they live on to a great age.

Which point of view is used in this passage?

1. First person
2. Second person
3. Third Person limited
4. Third person omniscient

Answer 1

The passage from 'The Death of Ivan Ilych' by Leo Tolstoy is written from the third person omniscient point of view, where the narrator knows all details about the characters and the world they live in.

Step-by-step explanation:

The excerpt provided is from 'The Death of Ivan Ilych' by Leo Tolstoy, which uses the third person omniscient point of view. In this perspective, the narrator knows all the thoughts and feelings of the characters in the story, as well as details about their lives and the wider world they inhabit.

In the passage given, the narrator provides information about Ivan Ilych and his father's career and life. This insight into the characters' lives and societal roles is indicative of an omniscient narrator who has a god-like knowledge of the story's world and its characters.