Which statement best describes the protagonist?

• A. The main character who drives the plot
• B. The opposing force that challenges the main character
• C. The narrator who tells the story
• D. The sidekick who supports the hero

Answer: (A)

The protagonist is the character the story follows most closely, the one whose goals and choices drive what happens. When we say the main character who drives the plot, we’re describing exactly what a protagonist does: their decisions create the events we read about, and the whole story tends to hinge on their actions. The other roles are different roles within the story: the opposing force that challenges the main character is the antagonist, the narrator is the voice telling the story (which might not be the main character), and the sidekick is a supporting character who helps the hero but isn’t the one whose actions move the plot forward. So describing the main character as the one who drives the plot captures who the story centers on and why the events unfold the way they do.