How does an author establish point of view, and what effect does it have on reliability?

• A. By the author's use of dialogue tags alone to convey truth.
• B. Only the plot's events determine reliability.
• C. Through the narrator's perspective, voice, and scope of knowledge; it affects what readers can trust and know.
• D. Reliability is independent of point of view.

Answer: (C)

Understanding point of view means recognizing who is telling the story and how much that narrator knows, how they sound, and what they choose to reveal. The author establishes this by shaping the narrator’s perspective, voice, and the limits of their knowledge. Because the narrator’s viewpoint determines what details are shared, what biases color those details, and what information is kept hidden, it directly affects what readers can trust and what they have to infer. If the narrator is biased, misinformed, or limited, readers may question the truth of what’s being presented and need to read more closely or seek outside confirmation. That’s why the option describing the narrator’s perspective, voice, and scope of knowledge—and its impact on trust—best captures how point of view links to reliability. Dialogue tags alone don’t establish truth, plot events aren’t the sole factor in reliability, and reliability isn’t separate from who is telling the story.