Since we learn that the aunt has a soft heart, I will say that 'this is an example of indirect characterization', because we learn of her characteristics in an indirect way, that is, we are not directly told that she has a soft heart, we can infer that information from this passage.
Checked out
Checked out is not domain specific language. When talking about medical visits, checked out is an informal term for having a medical evaluation. A check-up is a routine procedure done yearly that is normally called a physical in the medical field. A fall is a fall. There is no other domain specific vocabulary that can change this. Clinic and injuries are all typical domain specific terms that can be applied in medical situations.
The correct answer is C indeed. You should always use pointing words. If you don't your paragraphs might be incoherent and may lack cohesiveness.
