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WorksheetsIdentifying How an Author Develops a Character
Total questions: 55
Worksheet time: 2hrs 50mins
After pulling an all-nighter studying, Sarah moved through the dance routine sluggishly. She was off beat and missed several moves.
After glancing around to make sure she wasn't being watched, Marissa slide the candy bar into her pocket. She walked out of store casually, not stopping to pay.
Jonathan looked at the homeless dog walking down the street of his neighborhood. He approached the dog, slowly cautiously, with his hands stretched outward. After gaining his trust, Jonathan took the dog home, gave him a warm bath, and big bowl of food.
Brandon leaned back in his chair during the lecture. He was bored with the classes discussion of rock formations.
Tiffany loved when her teachers gave her creative projects. Her favorite things to do were paint, write music, play her guitar, and mold pottery.
Jake walked around the lunchroom. For every new student he saw, he stopped and said hello and gave them a fist bump.
Sergeant Stone ran the tired boys around the wet field for the last lap. Even though the boys were exhausted, he had them drop and do one hundred push-ups.
Marcy sat in class, drumming her fingers on her desk. Thinking back to that morning, she felt remorse over the way she had talked to her mom.
Mr. Timpelton walked through the airport in his crisp army uniform and duffel bag. After being deployed for a year in Iraq, he was anxious to see is family. He wiped his hands nervously on his pants, breathed a deep sigh, and begin to head to the airport welcoming area.
"Ms. Mancini drifted helplessly around the Central Park Lake for several minutes before she heard 'glop glop'. It was a turtle swimming towards her with her missing paddle! She began to get super excited. As the turtle approached, she jumped for joy and fell overboard!! The turtle, thought to himself, 'this lady is crazy!'"
"No, indeed. I don't know anything. You see, I am stuffed, so I have no brains at all," [the Scarecrow] answered sadly.
"Oh", said Dorothy, "I am awfully sorry for you."
"Do you think," he asked, "if I go to the Emerald City with you, that Oz would give me some brains?"
"I cannot tell", she returned, "but you may come with me, if you like. If Oz will not give you any brains you will be no worse off than you are now."
Which detail from the passage best shows us that Dorothy is caring and kind?
"We did it! We did it! We did it!" Mei boasted, slapping her hand against the table, scattering toast crumbs, knocking aside teaspoons and almost smearing the butter in her zeal.
"Whoa!" her brohter exclaimed, startled. "Well congratulations!"
Mei stood up and triumphantly strutted around the kitchen, transforming her walk around the breakfast table into a victory parade.
Her brother laughed, suprised and amused. "Who are you, and what have you done with me sister, Mei?" he teased.
Based on the passage, what can you infer about the main character Mei?
Read the following passage from a story:
Mercy snorted. She should have known better than to challenge Victoria. Of all Mercy's friends, Victoria talked loudest, ran fastest, and took the most risks. She bragged about the time she convinced her older brothers to spend a weekend building her a fort. Mercy liked to call Victoria "Buster". "Because you are always busting things up," she laughed. Victoria wore the nickname with pride.
Based on the passage, which of the following is one of Victoria's traits?
In indirect characterization....
the writer describes the character
the character's personality is directly described by the author
the writer reveals the character through STEAL
Characterization is
the central message in a story
the problem in a story
the process by which a writer reveals a character's personality and qualities
In direct characterization....
the writer describes the character
the writer reveals the character through STEAL
the writer doesn't care how you learn about the character
What does STEAL stand for?
Speech, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, and Looks
Statements, Time, Effort, Actions, and Love
Solitude, Thoughts, Enthusiasm, Actions, and Loss
Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: " No wonder Johnny was hurt because his parents didn't want him."
Direct characterization
Indirect characterization
Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "He glanced at her face - her eyes, which were honey brown, and her nose, which crinkled when she smiled."
Direct characterization
Indirect characterization
Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "But I am so much more than that! I am a musician, and a swimmer, and a person able to make my own decisions."
Direct characterization
Indirect characterization
Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "Destiny always came by with her bags, even if she was only stopping by to pick up and outfit or do homework."
Direct characterization
Indirect characterization
Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "After rolling up his sleeve, the sailor revealed several tattoos on his arm."
Direct characterization
Indirect characterization
Read the passage and determine if it is direct characterization or indirect characterization: "If you want to know the truth, I wasn't feeling that good in the first place."
Direct characterization
Indirect characterization
Craig is a football player training over the summer for next season. The coach demands that all players come in at 6:00 AM and lift weights until 8:00 AM, when practice begins. Craig gets there at 5:00 AM to begin his training.
What character trait does Craig exhibit?
eager
selfish
encouraging
dedicated
Jake is Cassie's older brother. One day they are walking home from school when a cold front rolls in and the temperature drops 20 degrees. Jake is dressed more appropriately for the weather than Cassie. He takes off his hooded sweatshirt and offers it to her. She gratefully accepts. Jake is now colder, but he is happier.
What character trait does Jake show?
considerate
selfish
cautious
respectful
Anna volunteered to help Kylie clean her house. When Anna washed the mirrors, Kylie asked her if she used paper towels instead of newspapers. When Anna admitted that she had, Kylie asked her to redo them. Then, while Anna was sweeping, Kylie corrected her on her technique. "Don't just push the dirt around, Anna. SWEEP it," Kylie told Anna.
What character trait does Kylie demonstrate?
unappreciative
moody
observant
quick
Corey came back from the bathroom and noticed that her rainbow pencil was missing. She looked around the room and saw that Beth was using a rainbow pencil. Corey started crying uncontrollably and ran out of the room.
Which character trait does Corey demonstrate?
active
emotional
suspicious
reasonable
Jonathan invited a bunch of friends over to his house. He then talked to them for hours about all the trophies that he had won, his rare comic book collection, and how much money his dad makes. His friends did not enjoy their time at Jonathan's.
Which character trait does Johnathan demonstrate?
humble
boastful
accepting
outgoing
Kelvin found a wallet on the ground. He opened up the wallet and saw an old woman's ID card. Kelvin took the ID out of the wallet, walked to the woman's house, and returned the wallet to her.
Which character trait does Kevin demonstrate?
persistent
upbeat
honorable
rich
Rocky's cousin brought him to a party. Rocky didn't know anyone at the party. Shortly after getting there, Rocky's cousin disappeared. Rocky made a lot of new friends at this party and had a great time.
Which character trait does Rocky demonstrate?
affable
timid
curious
kind
The teacher asked Khadija what the answer was to the problem on the board. Khadija wore a worried expression on her face for a moment and then put her head down on her desk. After the teacher moved on to someone else, Khadija whispered to her friend that the answer was 26. Khadija was right.
What character trait does Khadija demonstrate?
kind
intelligent
anxious
obedient
After Mark's mechanical pencil ran out of lead, he asked Pete, who sat next to him, if he could borrow a pencil. Pete yelled, "No, Mark. If you didn't come prepared, why is that my fault? Bring TWO pencils to class! You can't have one of mine or you'll never learn your lesson."
What character trait does Pete exhibit?
insightful
helpful
angry
harsh
Scott doesn't talk much, but five girls in our homeroom class are currently competing for his attention. This is nothing new. Girls have liked Scott for as long as I can remember.
What character trait does Scott exhibit?
quiet
interesting
sulky
frustrated
Scott doesn't talk much, but five girls in our homeroom class are currently competing for his attention. This is nothing new. Girls have liked Scott for as long as I can remember.
What character trait does Scott exhibit?
quiet
interesting
sulky
frustrated
Diamond spent twelve hours working on her Popsicle stick White House yesterday. Today she noticed that there are bushes in front of the building, so she spent another six hours making bushes out of construction paper.
What character trait does Diamond demonstrate?
meticulous
cautious
intelligent
demented
Daren showed up at the banquet with food stains all over his dress shirt. He sat down, put his feet on the table, and burped loudly. The other people sitting at the table looked at each other but continued eating.
What character train does Daren demonstrate?
puzzled
hysterical
unmannerly
sophisticated
Courtney asked her neighbor if she could borrow an egg to complete a recipe that she had already started. The next day Courtney returned an egg to her neighbor along with a thank you card expressing her sincere gratitude.
What character trait does Courtney demonstrate?
Stingy
Appreciative
Flabbergasted
Acceptable
When Angela asked her mother if she could go to the party, her mother said that she could not. So Angela asked her father, who said that she could. She then played her parents off one another until she got her way. Angela enjoyed herself at the party.
What character trait does Angela demonstrate?
Irritable
Dejected
Miserable
Manipulative
Kelly likes Aaron because they have many things in common. They have formed a great connection and she thinks that Aaron is very handsome, but Kelly wants to date Burt. Even though Kelly had nothing is common with Burt, he drives a fancy car and he spends a lot of money. She likes this about him.
What character trait does Kelly demonstrate?
Lively
Generous
Perky
Materialistic
Kelvin found a wallet on the ground. He opened up the wallet and saw an old woman's ID card. Kelvin took the money out of the wallet and threw the wallet in a ditch.
What character trait does Kelvin demonstrate?
Melancholy
Impoverished
Selfish
Skittish
Brad spends two to four hours a day grooming himself. This regimen includes an extensive time period during which Brad lovingly admires his appearance in the mirror.
What character trait does Brad demonstrate?
Vain
Homely
Ordinary
Mystical
Jared got off the train from his small farm village. He was now in the big city. An unshaven man with a trench coat with several holes in it approached Jared and told him that he was a police officer and that he needed to see Jared's wallet. Jared did not think that the man looked like a police officer, but he didn't want to get arrested on his first day in the city, so Jared reached into the front pocket of his overalls and gave the man his wallet. The man promptly ran away leaving Jared with no money.
What character trait does Jared demonstrate?
Cunning
Devious
Gullible
Clever
It was the bottom of the ninth inning and the home team was down by one. There was a man on second base when Bruce stepped up to the plate. Bruce pointed to right field. The pitcher threw his fastball. Bruce got a hold of it and sent it flying to right field. The home team won.
What character trait does Bruce demonstrate?
Confident
Humble
Submissive
Sophisticated
This type of character is one-dimensional, uncomplicated, and does not undergo change.
round
flat
direct
indirect
The protagonist of a story is usually also a dynamic character.
The antagonist of the story is usually also a static character.
In the Star Wars movies, Anakin Skywalker begins as a Jedi Knight who serves the Galactic Republic, but later serves the evil Galactic Empire when he changes into Darth Vader. In other words, he develops from a "good guy" to a "bad guy." This makes him a dynamic character.
