Read this excerpt from "The All-American Slurp."

Father, being an engineer, was always systematic. He took out a pocket French dictionary. "They told me that most of the items would be in French, so I came prepared.” He even had a pocket flashlight, the size of a marking pen. While Mother held the flashlight over the menu, he looked up the items that were in French.

What story element does the author develop in this excerpt?

plot details about the Lins’ routines
character traits of Mr. Lin
conflict between characters
setting details about the restaurant

The author develops character traits of Mr. Lin in this excerpt.

The story element that the author develops in this excerpt is the character traits of Mr. Lin.

In this excerpt from "The All-American Slurp," the author develops the character traits of Mr. Lin. The mention of Mr. Lin being an engineer and his systematic approach of coming prepared with a pocket French dictionary and a pocket flashlight demonstrates his meticulous and organized nature. This is a character detail that gives insight into Mr. Lin's personality.