Question

It was a dark, crazy night. The sound of rain and thunder filled Mrs. Windermere’s dining room. The guests sat around the mahogany table. All five of them s ipped the soup, feeling thankful for having found shelter before the rain starte d. John Culkin, the youngest guest, mentally counted the number of fish paintings in the room. Mrs. Windermere was an expert sailor, and she loved the beauty of sea creatures. Max Cena took off his tight shoes under the table, enjoying the cushiony softness of the carpet. Rachel Gellar amused herself by guessing what was inside each of the silver pots on the table. Buffalo wings, she thought to herself when she came to the round pot in the center. What can the reader learn from the passage because it is in third-person omniscient point of view?

Answer 1

What the reader can learn is the point of view of all the characters because it shows what they are thinking in their minds and what they are doing. 

Answer 2

Answer: The reader can get an insight of what some of Mrs. Windermere’s guests are thinking and feeling.

Explanation: Just to elaborate a little on the answer, it can be added that by employing an omniscient ("all-knowing") literary technique, the author grants the reader the opportunity to enter the minds of the characters, since only he or she has that "privileged" information. By doing so, he or she allows the reader to connect more effectively with the characters. In addition, it makes the story more interesting. That's why we learn that, over dinner, one of them mentally counted the number of fish paintings in the room, while another felt pleasure when his bare foot touched the carpet.