Back to the full dot-point answer
SingaporeEnglish LiteratureQuick questions
Reading Prose Fiction
Quick questions on Characterisation in prose explained: N(A)-Level Literature in English
7short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
what is a character like, and how does the writer show it?Show answer
You need to read for personality (the traits a character has) and for method (the ways the writer reveals those traits). A strong answer never just retells what a character does; it explains what each action, word or description tells us about the person.
What is the ways a writer reveals character?Show answer
A writer can show what a character is like in several ways. Learn to look for all of them:
What is show, not tell?Show answer
Good writers usually "show" character through behaviour rather than "telling" us a trait directly. Instead of "he was mean", a writer might show him refusing to help a child. Showing is more convincing because the reader works out the trait from the evidence. When you analyse, your job is to do that working-out and explain it.
What is only one method?Show answer
Noticing only what a character says and ignoring their actions or how others react. Look at all the methods.
What is q1?Show answer
Name three methods a writer can use to reveal a character. [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
What does "show, do not tell" mean? [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
What three things should every point about a character include? [3 marks]
Have a question we have not covered?
This dot-point answer is short enough that we have not extracted many short questions yet. Read the full dot-point answer or ask Mo, our study assistant, in the chat for follow ups.