What is the effect of a narrator's reliability on how readers interpret the text?

• A. Reliability has no effect.
• B. A biased narrator always makes the text unreliable.
• C. A more reliable narrator increases trust and aids interpretation.
• D. Reliability only matters in fiction.

Answer: (C)

The effect is that trust in the narrator shapes how readers understand and interpret what’s happening. When the narrator feels reliable, the details they share tend to be clear and consistent, so readers can trust what is described, follow the sequence of events, and infer characters’ motives and the story’s meaning with confidence. That clear, dependable voice provides a solid framework for interpretation, helping readers see how the plot fits together and what the author is exploring. Of course, even a reliable narrator can have biases, but the overall trustworthiness makes the interpretation smoother and more straightforward.

Reliability does affect interpretation; it’s not true that it has no effect, and it’s not only about biased narrators or about fiction. Pressing idea: a more reliable narrator increases trust and aids interpretation.