Which term is defined as a writing approach that streams thoughts as an interior monologue?

• A. Stream of consciousness
• B. Idiom
• C. Paradox
• D. Symbolism

Answer: (A)

Streaming thoughts as an interior monologue is a narrative method that gives readers direct access to a character’s mental life, presenting thoughts, impressions, memories, and associations as they arise, often with fragmented syntax and rapid shifts in focus. This technique imitates the flow of consciousness, showing how a person really thinks rather than what they publicly say, sometimes without strict punctuation or a linear structure. It creates immediacy and psychological depth by revealing motivations, doubts, and sensory impressions in real time. It’s a hallmark of modernist fiction, used by writers like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf to explore consciousness. The other terms refer to different devices: idiom is a familiar expression whose meaning isn’t obvious from the words themselves, paradox is a statement that appears self-contradictory but reveals a truth, and symbolism uses objects to represent ideas, not the direct stream of thoughts.