Question 5 • CMS 2026-2027 English II CREDIT RECOVERY
Read the excerpt from act 3 of A Doll’s House. Nora: Alas, Torvald, you are not the man to educate me into being a proper wife for you. Helmer: And you can say that! Nora: And I—how am I fitted to bring up the children? Helmer: Nora! Nora: Didn't you say so yourself a little while ago—that you dare not trust me to bring them up? Helmer: In a moment of anger! Why do you pay any heed to that? Nora: Indeed, you were perfectly right. I am not fit for the task. There is another task I must undertake first. I must try and educate myself—you are not the man to help me in that. I must do that for myself. And that is why I am going to leave you now. How does Nora’s character develop the theme that taking ownership of your own life is sometimes necessary?
Answer
A
Nora wishes that she had not asked Helmer to educate her because she feels he has failed, so she wants to leave to find a new teacher.
B
Nora regrets her previous comment to Helmer about not trusting him, and she needs to leave to find someone she trusts to educate her.
C
Nora admits that she did not raise the children properly in the past, and she wants to educate herself on better ways to raise them.
D
Nora decides that her decisions to be a wife and raise children were wrong, so she is leaving in order to educate herself properly.
Explanation
Nora recognizes that she has not been able to shape her life for herself and says she must educate herself before taking on the roles of wife and mother. She decides to leave because she needs to learn who she is and make her own choices. This supports the theme that taking ownership of your life can require stepping away from expectations imposed by others. Choice D best reflects this decision; she is not simply looking for a new teacher or focusing on how she raised the children.
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