Characterization refers to __________

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks for the definition of characterization, a basic literary term used when studying prose, drama and poetry.

Step 2: Explain the concept Characterization is the method an author uses to create, present and develop the characters in a work. It covers:

• Direct characterization: the narrator or another character tells us plainly what a character is like (e.g., "Okonkwo was a proud and fearful man").
• Indirect characterization: we learn about a character through their speech, actions, thoughts, appearance and how others react to them.

So characterization is about how a writer portrays or depicts characters.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. How characters are grouped: Grouping characters (e.g., into major and minor) is classification, not characterization.
• B. The readers' opinions of the characters: This is the reader's response or interpretation. It may result from characterization, but it is not the definition.
• C. How characters are depicted: This matches the definition. It describes the way the writer portrays characters.
• D. The roles played by the character: This describes a character's function in the plot (protagonist, antagonist, foil), not characterization itself.

Step 4: Answer The correct option is C. how characters are depicted.

Exam tip: Connect the word to its root: character + -ization means the process of "making" a character. If a question asks "what is characterization?", look for words like portray, depict, create or present. In essay questions, always support your points with both direct and indirect characterization, using examples from the text.