Question

read the passage from initiation. millicent brushed back a strand of hair it was stiff and sticky from the egg that they had broken on her head as she knelt blindfolded at the sorority altar a short while before. there had been a silence, a slight crunching sound, and then she had felt the cold, slimy egg-white flattening and spreading on her head and sliding down her neck she had heard someone smothering a laugh it was all part of the ceremony what technique does the author use to describe millicent in this scene? ○ indirect characterization to describe how millicent appears ○ indirect characterization to describe what millicent is feeling physically ○ direct characterization to describe how millicent appears ○ direct characterization to describe how millicent is feeling emotionally

Explanation:

To determine the technique, we analyze:

• Indirect characterization shows traits through actions/physical sensations (not direct statements).
• The passage describes Millicent’s physical sensations (stiff/sticky hair, cold/slimy egg-white) to reveal her experience, not her appearance or emotions directly.
• Direct characterization would explicitly state traits (e.g., “Millicent was nervous”), which is not done here.
• The first option focuses on appearance (incorrect, as the text describes physical feelings, not looks). The second option matches: indirect characterization (via physical sensations) to show what she feels physically. The third and fourth options are incorrect (direct characterization is not used, and the focus is physical, not emotional or appearance-based).

Answer:

B. indirect characterization to describe what Millicent is feeling physically