The correct answer is A. The description of Dave as morose and irritable
Explanation:
Direct characterization is a type of characterization in which the appearance, values or personality traits of a character are shown by directly describing them, different to indirect characterization in which a character is described through its actions, words, reactions, and behavior. In the excerpt presented, direct characterization occurs in "Something had gone wrong with him. He became more morose and irritable" because in this the narrator directly describes the personality of Dave, especially as his personality changes. Therefore, the best example of direct characterization is "the description of Dave as morose and irritable".
I believe your answer would be D. Taking into consideration that the genre features short texts, while still including all of the features of a full length story. :)
