Question

read the passage from a dolls house.
helmer. calls out from his room. is that my little lark twittering out there?
nora. busy opening some of the parcels. yes, it is!
helmer. is it my little squirrel bustling about?
nora. yes!
helmer. when did my squirrel come home?
nora. just now. puts the bag of macaroons into her pocket and wipes her mouth. come in here, torvald, and see what i have bought.
helmer. dont disturb me. a little later, he opens the door and looks into the room, pen in hand. bought, did you say? all these things? has my little spendthrift been wasting money again?
how do the stage directions in brackets affect the meaning of the text?
○ they tell the reader that torvald opens his door only when he realizes that nora has spent money.
○ they tell the reader that torvald uses pet names for nora and treats her like a child.
○ they show the reader that torvald thinks that nora bought too much.
○ they show the reader that torvald prefers his pets over his wife.

Explanation:

The stage directions first show Helmer is in his room while addressing Nora with pet names ("little lark", "little squirrel"), framing her as a playful, childlike figure. Later, his direction of opening the door only after Nora mentions purchases, paired with his annoyed "little spendthrift" comment, confirms he uses these pet names to treat her like a dependent child rather than an equal partner. The other options are incorrect: there's no indication he opens the door only about money spending, the stage directions don't focus on "too much" spending, and there's no evidence he prefers pets over Nora.

Answer:

O They tell the reader that Torvald uses pet names for Nora and treats her like a child.