How can readers infer a character's traits from dialogue?

• A. Dialogue never reveals traits.
• B. From the information in the sentences, the reader can infer.
• C. The narrator's biases determine the traits.
• D. The setting determines traits.

Answer: (B)

Dialogue is a window into a character’s personality carried by their own words. The traits you infer come from what the character reveals in their sentences—their choices of topics, the tone and formality of their language, the level of detail they share, and how they respond under different situations. All of these cues add up to a believable portrait of who they are—values, temperament, beliefs, and habits—without needing a narrator to spell it out.

The other ideas don’t fit as the main source here. Dialogue does reveal traits; you can learn a lot about someone by listening to how they speak. A narrator’s biases might color how you read the dialogue, and the setting can provide context, but neither alone establishes the character’s traits as shown in what they say.