This excerpt is an example of direct characterization because A. the author openly states a character's traits.
Explanation:
After reading the excerpt, we know that the character is a woman who is wise and experienced and who knows what's best for herself and for children. The reason why we have that knowledge is the fact that the author told us these traits directly. We did not have to guess them through the character's own deeds, words, or thoughts - indirect characterization. It was the narrator's own description of her that fed us this information.
Direct characterization is, thus, an explicit characterization. It is the author telling us what the character is like through the narrator or another character.
