Question

What best describes characterization?

Answer 1

The correct answer is the last one - the way a character is presented and developed. That is quite literally the definition of characterization. The other examples are indeed parts of characterization, but the last option encompasses them all.

Answer 2

The correct answer is: the way a character is presented and developed.

Indeed, characterization is one of the pillars of storytelling. There are two types of characterization: explicit and implicit. Explicit characterization involves the explicit description of the moral, intellectual and physical qualities of a character. It can be performed by the narrator, another character or even the said character himself/herself.

Implicit characterization is conveyed to the audience/readers by the use and description of mannerisms, speech patterns, word choice, physical gestures, actions, interactions with the other characters and the physical appearance. It is up to the audience/readers to interpret and infer the nature and motivations of the character through these.