GATE 2024 XH2 (English) – Question 50

Literary Forms, Genres, and Modes of Expression · Aesthetic and Rhetorical Strategies: Narrative and poetic techniques, and figures of speech · 2 marks · Multiple choice

A widely used narrative technique, it allows narrators to temporarily inhabit the consciousness of any of their characters. It is called _______ .

Localized Speech
Free Indirect Speech
Mimicked Speech
Empathetic Speech

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Show answer and explanation

Correct answer: (B) Free Indirect Speech

Explanation

Free indirect speech (or discourse) lets the narrator slip into a character's thoughts without quotation marks or “he thought”.