Grade 5 ELA Quiz: Understanding Character Traits and Motivation

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🎭 Character Traits: These are the qualities, personalities, and attitudes that make a character who they are. Think of words like: brave, kind, selfish, or funny.
• 🧭 Motivation: This is the reason *why* a character does what they do. What are their goals, desires, or fears that drive their actions?
• 💡 Direct Characterization: The author *tells* you directly what a character is like (e.g., "She was a generous person.").
• 🕵️‍♀️ Indirect Characterization: The author *shows* you what a character is like through their actions, speech, thoughts, effects on others, and looks (STEAL).
• 🎯 Internal Motivation: A character's desires, beliefs, and values motivate them.
• 🌍 External Motivation: Things in the character's environment, like pressure from other people, motivate them.

📝 Practice Quiz

1. Which of the following is an example of a character trait?
   1. Running fast
   2. Loving pizza
   3. Being brave
   4. Wearing a hat
2. What is a character's motivation?
   1. Their favorite color
   2. The reason they do what they do
   3. Their shoe size
   4. Their pet's name
3. If a story says, "Maria was always smiling and helping others," what kind of characterization is this?
   1. Indirect
   2. Direct
   3. Confusing
   4. Unimportant
4. Which of these shows indirect characterization?
   1. The narrator says, "He was a grumpy old man."
   2. Sarah slammed the door and stomped upstairs.
   3. They all lived happily ever after.
   4. The weather was sunny and warm.
5. What is an example of internal motivation?
   1. Wanting to win a race
   2. Being told to clean your room
   3. Avoiding a bully
   4. Following the rules
6. Which is an example of external motivation?
   1. A character wanting to be kind
   2. A character fearing spiders
   3. A character needing to earn money for their family
   4. A character dreaming of flying
7. If a character is motivated by a desire to protect their friends, is this internal or external motivation?
   1. External
   2. Internal
   3. Neither
   4. Both