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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why does Nora leave Torvald?

2. In the past year, what did Nora do two weeks before Christmas?

3. Why did Kristine end her relationship with Krogstad?

4. What is Nora's reputation among her friends and family?

5. What favor does Krogstad ask of Nora?

Short Essay Questions

1. How is Nora's transformation symbolized in her costume?

2. What deed does Oswald ask his mother to do for him, should circumstances necessitate?

3. How does Krogstad attempt to blackmail Nora?

4. What is ironic about Engstrand's naming his seaman's home the Captain Alving Home?

5. What was Mrs. Alving's marriage to the Captain really like, despite Pastor Mander's perceptions?

6. When is the first instance that Mrs. Alving sees "ghosts"?

7. What does Regine do when she learns how closely related she and Oswald are?

8. Why did Mrs. Alving keep Captain Alving's life of debauchery a secret?

9. Why does Mrs. Linde volunteer to approach Krogstad?

10. What is Oswald's first inkling that perhaps his father was not as virtuous as he thought?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the use of subtext in HEDDA GABLER. Does this differ from the other plays in the collection? Why or why not? What events or situations in Hedda Gabler are not stated, simply implied? How does this use of subtext contribute to the overall effect of the play from start to finish?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the role of personal will in THE MASTER BUILDER. Which characters believe they can will events into existence? How have these wills affected their lives/pasts/presents? In a way, could Solness's death be a punishment from God for trying to control his own destiny?

Essay Topic 3

In all the plays in the collection, there is a common theme: the inability to escape one's past. How does this theme play out in each of the four works? Which characters are the most affected by their denials of their pasts? What are the ultimate consequences in each of the works?

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This section contains 658 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample