Which description correctly defines omniscient point of view?

Which description correctly defines omniscient point of view?

• A. A narrator who knows everything about all characters.
• B. A narrator who reveals only actions.
• C. A narrator who participates as a character.
• D. A narrator with limited knowledge of one character.

Answer: (A)

Omniscient narration means the narrator knows everything about everyone in the story—the thoughts, feelings, motives, and backstories of all characters, and the ability to move through different times and places. That all-knowing voice fits the description of someone who knows everything about all characters, which is why this option is correct. This differs from narrators who reveal only actions, which describes a more objective or dramatic perspective that doesn’t share inner thoughts. It also isn’t a narrator who participates as a character, which would be first-person narration. And it isn’t a narrator with limited knowledge of one character, which is third-person limited. Omniscient lets readers see multiple viewpoints and inner states across the whole story.

Omniscient narration means the narrator knows everything about everyone in the story—the thoughts, feelings, motives, and backstories of all characters, and the ability to move through different times and places. That all-knowing voice fits the description of someone who knows everything about all characters, which is why this option is correct.

This differs from narrators who reveal only actions, which describes a more objective or dramatic perspective that doesn’t share inner thoughts. It also isn’t a narrator who participates as a character, which would be first-person narration. And it isn’t a narrator with limited knowledge of one character, which is third-person limited. Omniscient lets readers see multiple viewpoints and inner states across the whole story.