What strategies help infer a character's motivation from text?

• A. By guessing based on appearance.
• B. By noting the color of their clothing.
• C. Look at desires, fears, past actions, and what other characters say; read between lines of dialogue and narration for clues.
• D. Only by the narrator's direct statements.

Answer: (C)

To infer a character’s motivation, focus on what they want and fear, how they’ve acted in the past, and what other characters reveal about them. Motives usually show up through clues across the text: the character’s desires drive their choices, fears explain why they avoid certain actions, and past actions reveal patterns that point to why they behave a certain way. Reading between the lines—paying attention to dialogue and narration for hints, tone, and what the author emphasizes or omits—helps you uncover the hidden reasons behind their behavior. Surface details like appearance or clothing don’t reliably explain why a character acts, and narrators often convey motives indirectly rather than stating them outright. By gathering multiple clues from scenes, conversations, and reactions, you can form a well-supported view of what guides the character.