Character Motivation | Answer Keys

Student Concept Worksheet Answers

Question	Answer
1	Jaylen's internal conflict is deciding between pursuing his dream role (Romeo) and protecting his best friend Marcus's feelings and their friendship. He is torn between his personal ambition and his loyalty to his friend.
2	If Jaylen had signed up for Romeo, he might face external conflict with Marcus - competition for the role that could damage their friendship, or tension if one got the role and the other didn't.
3	Jaylen wants to play Romeo (personal ambition) AND he wants to protect Marcus and preserve their friendship (loyalty). These motivations conflict because pursuing Romeo could hurt Marcus, but stepping aside means giving up his dream.
4	Positive: Marcus is happy, their friendship is protected, they can both be in the play. Negative: Jaylen feels "relief and regret in equal measure," he gave up his dream role, and he questions whether he was loyal or just afraid to compete.
5	Jaylen's decision reveals that he values friendship and loyalty over personal ambition, but the ending also suggests he may value avoiding conflict/competition more than he realizes. His self-questioning ("loyal or just afraid?") shows he's complex - even he isn't sure of his true motivations.

Practice Worksheet Answers

Question	Answer
1	B. She wants to pursue her future vs. she wants to protect and care for her mother
2	Elena's internal conflict is deciding whether to leave for Westbrook (pursuing opportunity) or stay home (protecting her mother). She feels torn between her dreams and her sense of responsibility. She worries about leaving her mother alone, questioning "who would do those things?" if she left.
3	Elena's father "chose to leave" and she "had always sworn she was nothing like him." This complicates her decision because leaving for Westbrook feels like it might be similar to her father's abandonment. She has to work through whether leaving for opportunity is different from leaving selfishly.
4	B. All her sacrifices were meant to give Elena opportunity, and staying would waste them
5	Elena realizes that "leaving for opportunity wasn't the same as leaving out of selfishness" - unlike her father who abandoned them, she would be leaving to fulfill the purpose of her mother's sacrifices. She also realizes that "staying would actually be the selfish choice" because it would prevent her mother's sacrifice from "meaning anything." This reframing allows her to see leaving as honoring her mother, not abandoning her.
6	B. He wants to prove he belongs and isn't just the "charity case"
7	Derek's competing desires are: (1) proving himself by taking the shot and showing his skill, and (2) making the best play for the team by passing to Wyatt. The first would serve his personal need for validation; the second would serve the team but require sacrificing his moment.
8	Derek's decision to pass instead of shoot leads directly to Coach Martinez noticing him and commenting that "That's what a captain sees." This decision creates the consequence of the coach recognizing his leadership qualities, which advances the plot toward the captain announcement and Derek's character development.
9	B. He has grown from seeking personal validation to valuing team success
10	Derek realizes that by making the unselfish pass, he "discovered he already did" belong - he didn't need the captaincy to prove it. His internal conflict was about proving he wasn't a "charity case," but the act of putting the team first showed him he belonged through his actions and character, not through a title. The validation he sought was found in the moment of sacrifice itself.
11	External: Mira vs. Greenfield Industries - she could lose her job and career if she reports them. Internal: Mira struggling between doing the right thing (reporting) and protecting her family's stability and her hard-earned career.
12	Mira wants to do what's ethically right (protect the community from pollution) AND she wants to protect her career and family stability. These conflict because reporting would likely destroy her career ("blacklisted, unemployable") but staying silent means allowing harm to families and children.
13	B. She provides perspective that helps Mira see her values clearly
14	"Changing things from the inside" might be motivated by Mira wanting to do the right thing without losing everything - a compromise that preserves her career while potentially fixing the problem later. She ultimately rejects it because: (1) it's uncertain - "maybe eventually" suggests no guarantee, (2) it means allowing harm to continue in the meantime, and (3) her mother's words about "a foundation of rotten" suggest that compromising her integrity would corrupt everything she builds.

FAST Format Quiz Answers

Question	Answer
1	B. Whether to honor her grandmother's wish and return to Millbrook, or keep her city life
2	B. To escape her mother's shadow
3	B. Maya has achieved success but may have sacrificed joy and authentic self-expression
4	A. It forces Maya to choose between her established city life and reconnecting with her past
5	B. "The loneliness. The way Maya photographed everyone else's special moments but had none of her own."
6	A. Maya has a natural decision point approaching that could make leaving the city easier
7	B. It forces Maya to confront truths about herself that she had been avoiding
8	A. The house needs repairs, and Maya needs to decide about more than just property
9	See rubric and sample response below.
10	See rubric and sample response below.

Question 9 Scoring Rubric (Competing Motivations)

Score	Criteria
2	Clearly identifies competing motivations, explains what Maya stands to gain and lose with each choice, and uses specific evidence from the text
1	Identifies some motivations but incomplete analysis of gains/losses, OR limited textual evidence
0	Does not identify competing motivations or provide relevant evidence

Sample 2-Point Response for Question 9:
Maya has competing motivations in this passage. On one hand, she wants to keep her successful city life - her "photography studio, her clients" and "the apartment with the skyline view." If she stays, she gains continued professional success but might lose the chance to rediscover authentic happiness. On the other hand, part of her wants to return to who she was - "the girl who painted murals" and "organized the town art festival." If she goes to Millbrook, she might gain "joy" and reconnection with her creative self, but she would lose her established career and community. The text shows she feels "loneliness" in the city and hasn't "painted, really painted, since she left," suggesting her city success hasn't fulfilled her.

Question 10 Scoring Rubric (Metaphor and Connection)

Score	Criteria
2	Explains the metaphorical meaning, clearly connects the external decision to internal conflict, and identifies what grandmother hopes Maya will discover
1	Explains metaphor but weak connection between external and internal, OR doesn't fully address grandmother's hopes
0	Does not explain metaphor meaningfully or fails to connect external and internal elements

Sample 2-Point Response for Question 10:
The grandmother's statement "This house needs repair. So, I suspect, do you" uses the house as a metaphor for Maya herself. Just as the Victorian house is "crumbling" and needs work, the grandmother believes Maya's inner self needs attention - she has been pursuing success but neglecting joy and authentic self-expression. The external decision about the house connects to the internal conflict because deciding whether to repair the physical house mirrors deciding whether to repair her relationship with herself and her creative identity. The grandmother hopes Maya will use the year to rediscover "the girl who painted murals" and find what she "abandoned" - not just the small town, but her true self and sense of joy that got lost in the pursuit of professional success.

Quick Reference: Character Motivation Key Concepts