Character Evidence by Specific Instances—Essential Element.

• A. Reputation or Opinion
• B. Habit; Routine Practice
• C. Absence of Mistake
• D. Rule 405. (a)

Answer: (D)

When character evidence is at issue because the trait is an essential element of the claim, the rule that governs how that character may be proven is Rule 405, and the method described there is proving the trait by reputation or opinion. That makes the option citing Rule 405(a) the best fit, since it directly names the rule for admissible character proof in this essential-element context. The other ideas point to different concepts—habit evidence, or credibility-related notions—not the mechanism for proving character when it’s an essential element. So the key takeaway is that essential-element scenarios use Rule 405(a)’s approach of proving character by reputation or opinion.