Name: __________________________________________________ Period:__________
Characterization Practice
Read the following excerpts from “The Japanese Quince” by John Galsworthy. Then, answer
the questions below.
1. Mr. Nilson took up an ivory-backed mirror and studied his face. His firm, well
colored cheeks, with his neat brown mustache, and his round, well-opened, clear grey eyes,
wore a reassuring appearance of good health.
From this description, we can tell that Mr. Nilson is in good health. What kind of
characterization did the author use to tell us this?
a. Indirect characterization
b. Direct characterization
2. Why did you choose the answer you did for question 1? _________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. He was on the point of resuming his walk, when a blackbird close by burst into song,
and, looking up, Mr. Nilson saw at a distance of perhaps five yards a little tree, in the heart of
whose branches the bird was perched….It was covered with young blossoms, pink and white,
and little bright green leaves both round and spiky; and on all this blossom and these leaves the
sunlight glistened. Mr. Nilson smiled…instead of passing on, he stayed there smiling at the tree.
Based on Mr. Nilson’s reaction to the tree, what can we infer about Mr. Nilson?
a.
b.
c.
d.
He wanted to cut the tree down.
He was thinking of ways to sell more of these trees.
He enjoyed the sight of this tree.
He wished that the bird would get out of the way.
4. Why did you choose the answer you did for question 3? _________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Read the following excerpt from “Defender of the Faith” by Philip Roth. Then, answer the
questions below.
5. The next day, while I was playing softball over on the parade ground, I decided to ask
Bob Wright, who was in charge of Classification and Assignment, where he thought our trainees
would be sent when their cycle ended, in two weeks. I asked casually, between innings, and he
said, “They’re pushing them all extremely far away. Shulman put out the orders on the men in
your camp the other day.” The news shocked me, as though I were the father of the trainees.
What does the narrator’s reaction to the news say about him?
a.
b.
c.
d.
He is not on good terms with these particular men.
He would rather play softball than be in the army.
He is planning a vacation on the Pacific coast.
He was hoping that these particular men wouldn’t have been stationed so far away.
6. Why did you choose the answer you did for question 5? _________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Name: ________ANSWERS____________________________
Characterization Practice
Read the following excerpts from “The Japanese Quince” by John Galsworthy. Then, answer
the questions below.
Mr. Nilson took up an ivory-backed mirror and studied his face. His firm, well
colored cheeks, with his neat brown mustache, and his round, well-opened, clear grey
eyes, wore a reassuring appearance of good health.
From this description, we can tell that Mr. Nilson is in good health. What kind of
characterization did the author use to tell us this?
a. Indirect characterization
b. Direct characterization
Why did you choose the answer you did for question 1? _________________________
_The narrator tells us directly (“wore a reassuring appearance of good health”) that
Mr. Nilson appears to be in good health. ______________________________________
He was on the point of resuming his walk, when a blackbird close by burst into song,
and, looking up, Mr. Nilson saw at a distance of perhaps five yards a little tree, in the heart of
whose branches the bird was perched….It was covered with young blossoms, pink and white,
and little bright green leaves both round and spiky; and on all this blossom and these leaves the
sunlight glistened. Mr. Nilson smiled…instead of passing on, he stayed there smiling at the tree.
Based on Mr. Nilson’s reaction to the tree, what can we infer about Mr. Nilson?
a.
b.
c.
d.
He wanted to cut the tree down.
He was thinking of ways to sell more of these trees.
He enjoyed the sight of this tree.
He wished that the bird would get out of the way.
Why did you choose the answer you did for question 3? __Two times the narrator tells
us that Mr. Nilson smiled, which indicates that Mr. Nilson liked looking at the tree.
Based on the description of the tree, the tree itself was a delight to behold, so we are
not given more reason than that for Mr. Nilson’s smiling. _______________________
Read the following excerpt from “Defender of the Faith” by Philip Roth. Then, answer the
questions below.
The next day, while I was playing softball over on the parade ground, I decided to ask
Bob Wright, who was in charge of Classification and Assignment, where he thought our
trainees would be sent when their cycle ended, in two weeks. I asked casually, between
innings, and he said, “They’re pushing them all extremely far away. Shulman put out
the orders on the men in your camp the other day.” The news shocked me, as though I
were the father of the trainees.
What does the narrator’s reaction to the news say about him?
a.
b.
c.
d.
He is not on good terms with these particular men.
He would rather play softball than be in the army.
He is planning a vacation on the Pacific coast.
He was hoping that these particular men wouldn’t have been stationed so far
away.
Why did you choose the answer you did for question 5? __The narrator says about
himself, “The news shocked me, as though I were the father [of these men],” which
indicates that he was close to them. The word “pushing,” indicates that the Pacific
coast is far (or at least an undesirable location) from where they currently are.