Question

read the excerpt from act 2 of a dolls house. nora: what are you going to do? helmer: looking among his papers settle it. enter maid. look here; take this letter and go downstairs with it at once. find a messenger and tell him to deliver it, and be quick. the address is on it, and here is the money. maid: very well, sir. exit with the letter. helmer: putting his papers together now then, little miss obstinate. nora: breathlessly torvald—what was that letter? helmer: krogstads dismissal. nora: call her back, torvald! there is still time. oh torvald, call her back! do it for my sake—for your own sake—for the childrens sake! do you hear me, how does the interaction between helmer and nora advance the plot? ○ helmer decides he might need to use strength against krogstad to make him leave his position at the bank. ○ helmer realizes that nora is right about krogstad, which will keep her secret safe from him later in the play. ○ helmer thinks that nora is afraid his reputation will suffer, heightening the suspense about her real secret ○ helmer agrees with nora that it is too late and that he has made a mistake with krogstad, which creates conflict

Explanation:

In this excerpt from A Doll's House, Nora panics when she learns Helmer has sent a letter dismissing Krogstad, because Krogstad knows her secret of forging her father's signature for a loan. Helmer refers to her as "little Miss Obstinate," showing he misinterprets her panic as stubbornness about Krogstad, not realizing she is hiding a life-altering secret. This misinterpretation builds suspense as the audience waits for Helmer to discover the truth. The other options are incorrect: Helmer does not plan to use strength against Krogstad, he does not accept Nora's stance on Krogstad, and he does not admit a mistake.

Answer:

Helmer thinks that Nora is afraid his reputation will suffer, heightening the suspense about her real secret