Question
The Long Night
by Steve Vance
This passage is from a sciene fiction story where people have a Hibernation Instinct that causes them to sleep for over a year. The passage follows Bobby who finds out he is one of the few people unaffected by the Sleep.
As you read, pay attention to the perspective of the narrator of the passage.
“You’re not the only one,” Bobby’s father said as he drove their car very slowly and carefully through the empty streets. In spite of the fact that there were no other vehicles on the road, driving was still dangerous in this situation: his dad could hardly keep his eyes open. “There are at least a dozen other people in this part of the state who haven’t responded to the Hibernation Instinct.”
Bobby’s mother hugged him with one arm while resting her head atop his own. For a moment, he thought that she had slipped off to sleep, but then she said in a warm, drowsy voice, “We thought that you would be…affected like your brother and sister. But, well, you’ve always been your own little man, haven’t you?” She gave him a sloppy kiss on the temple.
Bobby glanced to the backseat of the car where Phil and Cathy, his younger brother and sister, dreamed happily. He knew that, in houses and apartments all over the city, people were snuggled in their beds with the sheets drawn up to their chins, sinking deeper into the warm slumber that, according to the best scientific guesses, would last for at least half a year. This was going to be one long, long night, all right.
“I hate putting you to all of this trouble,” the boy muttered. What Bobby really hated was the thought of being abnormal, the only person awake while the rest of the world engaged in one gigantic sleepover. “We should be at home, like everybody else.”
“Don’t let it bother you,” his mom sighed. “The hospital isn’t far. We really should have made our plans when we realized that you weren’t feeling the Instinct the way the rest of us did.” She paused for a long yawn. “Besides, it doesn’t matter where we sleep, as long as we’re together and safe.”
“I still feel like a weirdo.”
“Don’t say that. Dr. Josephs believes your resistance is probably due to that shock you suffered when you were four and the lamp fell on the pool deck. You’ve never been a big sleeper since then. It’s not your fault.” His dad looked over toward him with half-closed eyes. “That’s the great thing about the Sleep. If it does everything the experts have predicted, it will heal all diseases and injuries, rejuvenate our cells, let the pollution in the atmosphere clear up, and basically just give the whole world a brand-new start. I don’t know what’s causing it, but it’s the best birthday present this old planet ever received.”
“Dad, watch out!” Bobby yelled as the car began to drift toward the curb. His father jerked the wheel to the left and guided the vehicle back to the center of the street. They weren’t going fast, but the near miss still set Bobby’s heart pounding.
His dad grinned in embarrassment. “I guess I’m a little more punchy than I thought.”
Bobby gazed straight ahead into the black canyon that was the city avenue. He had seen some dark nights before, of course, but with all of the lights out and not even a single radio station broadcasting, he had never seen any night as empty as this one.
___
Adapted from The Long Night, by Steve Vance, ©️ by Cricket Media, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
Questions
What point of view is this text written from?
Third person focused on Dr. Joseph’s perspective
First person told from Bobby’s perspective
First person told from Phil’s perspective
Third person focused on Bobby’s perspective
please chose the correct answer
by Steve Vance
This passage is from a sciene fiction story where people have a Hibernation Instinct that causes them to sleep for over a year. The passage follows Bobby who finds out he is one of the few people unaffected by the Sleep.
As you read, pay attention to the perspective of the narrator of the passage.
“You’re not the only one,” Bobby’s father said as he drove their car very slowly and carefully through the empty streets. In spite of the fact that there were no other vehicles on the road, driving was still dangerous in this situation: his dad could hardly keep his eyes open. “There are at least a dozen other people in this part of the state who haven’t responded to the Hibernation Instinct.”
Bobby’s mother hugged him with one arm while resting her head atop his own. For a moment, he thought that she had slipped off to sleep, but then she said in a warm, drowsy voice, “We thought that you would be…affected like your brother and sister. But, well, you’ve always been your own little man, haven’t you?” She gave him a sloppy kiss on the temple.
Bobby glanced to the backseat of the car where Phil and Cathy, his younger brother and sister, dreamed happily. He knew that, in houses and apartments all over the city, people were snuggled in their beds with the sheets drawn up to their chins, sinking deeper into the warm slumber that, according to the best scientific guesses, would last for at least half a year. This was going to be one long, long night, all right.
“I hate putting you to all of this trouble,” the boy muttered. What Bobby really hated was the thought of being abnormal, the only person awake while the rest of the world engaged in one gigantic sleepover. “We should be at home, like everybody else.”
“Don’t let it bother you,” his mom sighed. “The hospital isn’t far. We really should have made our plans when we realized that you weren’t feeling the Instinct the way the rest of us did.” She paused for a long yawn. “Besides, it doesn’t matter where we sleep, as long as we’re together and safe.”
“I still feel like a weirdo.”
“Don’t say that. Dr. Josephs believes your resistance is probably due to that shock you suffered when you were four and the lamp fell on the pool deck. You’ve never been a big sleeper since then. It’s not your fault.” His dad looked over toward him with half-closed eyes. “That’s the great thing about the Sleep. If it does everything the experts have predicted, it will heal all diseases and injuries, rejuvenate our cells, let the pollution in the atmosphere clear up, and basically just give the whole world a brand-new start. I don’t know what’s causing it, but it’s the best birthday present this old planet ever received.”
“Dad, watch out!” Bobby yelled as the car began to drift toward the curb. His father jerked the wheel to the left and guided the vehicle back to the center of the street. They weren’t going fast, but the near miss still set Bobby’s heart pounding.
His dad grinned in embarrassment. “I guess I’m a little more punchy than I thought.”
Bobby gazed straight ahead into the black canyon that was the city avenue. He had seen some dark nights before, of course, but with all of the lights out and not even a single radio station broadcasting, he had never seen any night as empty as this one.
___
Adapted from The Long Night, by Steve Vance, ©️ by Cricket Media, Inc. Reprinted with permission.
Questions
What point of view is this text written from?
Third person focused on Dr. Joseph’s perspective
First person told from Bobby’s perspective
First person told from Phil’s perspective
Third person focused on Bobby’s perspective
please chose the correct answer
Answers
Answered by
GPT-4o mini
The correct answer is: **Third person focused on Bobby’s perspective.**
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