October 2026 - Character Analysis Study Guide

Core ideas to know

Learn the relationships, not a string of isolated definitions. These are the facts that let you reason through unfamiliar wording.

• Direct characterisation names a trait; indirect characterisation lets speech, thought, action or response reveal it.
• A motive is the reason for an action, while a trait is a more stable quality such as patience or pride.
• A character may be dynamic and change through the passage, or static and remain substantially the same.
• Conflict can be internal, within the character, or external, against another person, society or circumstance.
• Reliable analysis accounts for contradictory evidence instead of selecting one convenient sentence.

A reliable way to answer

Use the same short process every time so the wording of the question does not decide your method for you.

1. Mark the exact action, line of dialogue or thought the question points toward.
2. Describe what that evidence shows in neutral words before looking at answer choices.
3. Test whether the proposed trait or motive explains the character across the relevant passage.
4. Reject choices that diagnose, exaggerate or import a motive the narrator never supports.

Distinctions that earn marks

Terms to know

Characterisation

The methods a text uses to reveal a character.

Motivation

The need, belief or goal that drives an action.

Conflict

The opposition that creates a character’s struggle.

Key points

• Base every character claim on an action, thought, statement or response in the text.
• Do not turn one momentary reaction into a permanent personality trait.
• A change must affect outlook or behaviour to make a character dynamic.