The reason a character behaves a certain way is called

A) pacing

B) foreshadowing

C) prior knowledge

D) motivation

D) Motivation (Just took the test)

The reason a character behaves in a certain way is called "motivation" (Option "D" is the correct answer). Motivation is the result of a combination between the character's personality and the situation that he or she has to deal with. A character's motives may arise from feelings, experiences, beliefs, or others' actions. Motivations which are the reasons behind a character's behaviors, determine the actions in a given scene or throughout a story.