Study Guide A Doll's House & Antigone
In Act III of A Doll House, why does Dr. Rank's appearance create dramatic tension?
He is about to die, and the audience is aware of it.
What do the following lines from A Doll House, Act II, spoken by Nora to Mrs. Linde, reveal about Torvald's character?
He is jealous
What does the reader learn about Torvald when he asks Nora what has become of his "little lark" at the end of A Doll House, Act II?
He is unable to see Nora as an adult.
In the opening scene of Act I from A Doll House, what does Torvald's reaction to Nora's shopping show about his character?
He is very careful with money.
In A Doll House, Act II, what is the main reason that Torvald wants to fire Krogstad from the bank?
He resents Krogstad's familiar manner with him.
How does Krogstad try to get Nora to help him in Act I of A Doll House?
He threatens to reveal information.
What do these stage directions show about Torvald's attitude toward Nora in Act I of A Doll House? [Torvald] HELMER [shaking an admonitory (warning) finger]: Surely my sweet tooth hasn't been running riot in town today, has she?
He treats her like a child.
In Act III of A Doll House, why does Mrs. Linde want Torvald to see the letter from Krogstad?
She wants Nora and Torvald to stop living a lie.
What is a characteristic of modern drama that is found in A Doll's House?
The play is written in conversational prose.
What is a major theme of A Doll House?
The truth shall set you free
In Act III of A Doll House, what does Nora finally understand after Torvald reads Krogstad's letter and insists that she explain herself to him?
Torvald's unforgiving tone shows that he has never really loved her.
What does Anne-Marie's relationship with her daughter tell the reader about the situation of poor unmarried mothers at the time in which A Doll House was written?
Young, unmarried mothers often had to give up their children for economic reasons.
When Krogstad speaks to Nora about the job he wants in A Doll House, Act II, which qualities in his character is revealed?
ambition
Which word best describes Nora's frame of mind at the beginning of A Doll House, Act II?
amused
What is Creon's relationship to Jocasta in Antigone?
brother
In Antigone what does Creon do just before he finds Antigone dead?
gives Polynices a proper burial
Which word best replaces proprieties in this sentence: "Most people at the table observed proprieties by putting their napkins on their laps"?
good manners
What best describes Dr. Rank's feelings for Nora in A Doll House, Act II?
hidden passion
According to Nora in Act III of A Doll House, what part of a successful marriage is missing from her relationship with Torvald?
honest communication of feelings
Which characteristic of Mrs. Linde shows in her conversation with Krogstad in Act III of A Doll House?
loneliness
Which word best replaces retribution in this sentence: "The loan had to be repaid immediately, or there would be retribution to face"?
punishment
In Antigone what sentence does Creon impose upon Antigone for violating his edict prohibiting Polynices' burial?
she must be buried alive
When Nora says to Torvald in A Doll House, Act II, that there "mustn't be anything ugly between us before it's all over," to what larger event might she be referring?
the end of her marriage
At the end of A Doll House, Act II, Nora refers to the time when the "tarantella [the dance]" will be "done." What might the dance symbolize in her life?
the time when she will stop pretending
How many children did Oedipus have in Antigone?
4
How is Act I of A Doll House an example of the realism of modern drama?
A holiday experience is not an entirely happy time.
Which of the characters does not commit suicide in Antigone?
Ismene
As a realistic modern drama, how does A Doll House portray a real issue?
It shows Nora's and Torvald's conflicts over money.
Which theme of A Doll House becomes clear in Act III as Nora begins to understand the truth of her relationship with Torvald?
Married people often lie to themselves and to each other to stay together.
What social reality of nineteenth-century Norway is evident in these lines from A Doll House, Act II, as Torvald calls Nora "you little helpless thing"?
Men viewed women as weak creatures who needed protection.
What could be a title for Act III of A Doll House
Nora Declares Independence
In Act III of A Doll House, which piece of information causes the dramatic tension to rise?
Nora tells Torvald that she is leaving him and their children.
As Act III of A Doll House opens, dramatic tension arises between Mrs. Linde and Krogstad over what?
She broke off their romance years ago
In A Doll House, Act I, how does Nora feel when Torvald tells her that everyone who "goes bad early in life has a mother who's a chronic liar"?
She feels worried that she may ruin her children's lives.
In A Doll House, Act II, what does Nora's wild performance of the tarantella suggest?
She has become upset after hearing about Krogstad's letter to Torvald.
What does the reader learn about Nora from her conversations with Mrs. Linde and Krogstad in Act I of A Doll House?
She is caring but innocent
In Act III of A Doll House, Torvald forgives Nora after he reads Krogstad's note. Why does she reject his forgiveness?
She knows that he was unforgiving when he thought his reputation was in danger.
Why does Mrs. Linde attempt to see Krogstad in A Doll House, Act II?
She plans to ask him not to blackmail Nora and her husband.
In Act III of A Doll House, on what does Nora base her decision about her marriage?
She realizes that she is not an independent adult.
What is Mrs. Linde's view of Nora's character in Act I of A Doll House?
She thinks that Nora is childish.
What attitude is suggested by the following stage directions from A Doll House, Act I? KROGSTAD [a step closer]: Listen, Mrs. Helmer—you've either got a very bad memory, or else no head at all for business. I'd better put you a little more in touch with the facts.
threatening
In Act I of A Doll House, why has Mrs. Linde come to visit her old friend Nora?
to seek help from her and Torvald
Which word best replaces indiscreet in the following sentence: "The woman was indiscreet in telling a secret to her talkative friend"?
unwise
In Act I of A Doll House, how does Krogstad feel about his situation?
worried
