Question

4
select the correct answer.
which mode of narration is apparent in the last two lines of this excerpt from jane austen’s pride and prejudice?
not all that mrs. bennet, however, with the assistance of her five daughters, could ask on the subject, was sufficient to draw from her husband any satisfactory description of mr. bingley. they attacked him in various ways—with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and distant surmises; but he eluded the skill of them all, and they were at last obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of their neighbour, lady lucas. her report was highly favourable. sir william had been delighted with him. he was quite young, wonderfully handsome, extremely agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next assembly with a large party. nothing could be more delightful! to be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love, and very lively hopes of mr. bingley’s heart were entertained.

a. first person

b. third person omniscient

c. free indirect speech

d. third person limited

Explanation:

To determine the narration mode, analyze each option:

• Option A (first person): First - person narration uses "I" or "we". The excerpt doesn't use these, so A is incorrect.
• Option B (third - person omniscient): Third - person omniscient has a narrator who knows all characters' thoughts, feelings, and actions. But the last two lines reflect the perspective of the Bennet family (especially the daughters) about Mr. Bingley's qualities and the delight of dancing leading to love, which is more of a character's perspective rather than an all - knowing narrator. So B is incorrect.
• Option C (free indirect speech): Free indirect speech blends the narrator's voice with a character's thoughts or perspective, without using "he said" or similar tags. In the last two lines, the thoughts about what is delightful and the connection between dancing and falling in love seem to reflect the Bennet family's (especially the daughters') perspective, which is characteristic of free indirect speech.
• Option D (third - person limited): Third - person limited focuses on one character's thoughts. Here, the perspective in the last two lines isn't limited to one character's thoughts but rather the collective perspective of the Bennet family (or the social context of the characters), so D is incorrect.

Answer:

C. free indirect speech