View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Mrs. Alving marry Captain Alving?

2. Whose assistance will Oswald need if his illness progresses?

3. What event is Dr. Rank very frank about with Nora?

4. What can many of the artists abroad not afford, according to Oswald?

5. What dance does Nora learn in Capri?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Nora decline asking her favor from Dr. Rank?

3. How does Torvald react to Krogstad's first letter?

4. How is Nora's dance costume symbolic of her life and marriage?

5. What is the only way Torvald could possibly accept Krogstad again?

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

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

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

9. What does Mrs. Alving hope to gain from opening the orphanage?

10. How does Krogstad attempt to blackmail Nora?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

Examine Solness' death in THE MASTER BUILDER. Is his death the will of God? The foolish accident of a young man trying to impress a girl? Does he commit suicide, unable to atone for or reconcile with his many selfish, cruel choices? What role does Hilde play in Solness' death? What role does Aline play in Solness' death?

Essay Topic 3

Choose two of the four works in the collection. How does morality shape the events of the play? Are there immoral characters that learn morality, and vice versa? Is Ibsen making a statement about morality, and if so, what does he wish to convey? Is the moral choice usually the socially acceptable choice in the works? Why or why not?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 650 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample