Final answer:
The narrative technique in the excerpt is stream of consciousness, where there's a fluid transition from a character's thoughts to speech. Option number b is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
The narrative technique found in the bolded text from the excerpt is stream of consciousness. This is evident as the text transitions seamlessly from the man's internal thoughts to his actual spoken words with minimal indication of the shift, which is a hallmark of the stream of consciousness method.
Virginia Woolf is known for her use of this technique, allowing readers to flow in and out of a character's thoughts as if they are part of a continuous stream, reflecting how thoughts and external dialogue intertwine in real-life cognition.