Which best describes characterization in a novel or story?

• A. The author’s tone toward the audience.
• B. The techniques used to reveal a character’s personality.
• C. The plot's turning point.
• D. The setting's atmosphere.

Answer: (B)

Characterization is how an author reveals a character’s personality to the reader. This happens through the techniques used to show who the character is—directly saying traits, or more subtly through what the character says, thinks, does, how others respond to them, how they look, and how they affect events. By gathering these clues, readers infer qualities like temperament, values, strengths, and flaws, and can see how a character grows over the story. For example, showing a character volunteering in a crisis, keeping promises, and standing up for others reveals courage and reliability through actions and impact on others, not simply by labeling them. That’s why the best description focuses on the techniques used to reveal a character’s personality. The other options describe the narrator’s attitude toward readers (tone), a moment in the plot (turning point), or the mood of the setting (atmosphere).