Read the excerpt from act 2 of a doll's house.

helmer: [putting his papers together] now then, little miss obstinate.

nora: [breathlessly]. torvald—what was that letter?

helmer: krogstad's 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 children's sake! do you hear me, torvald? call her back! you don't know what that letter can bring upon us.

helmer: it's too late.

nora: yes, it's too late.

helmer: my dear nora, i can forgive the anxiety you are in, although really it is an insult to me. it is, indeed. isn't it an insult to think that i should be afraid of a starving quill-driver's vengeance? but i forgive you nevertheless, because it is such eloquent witness to your great love for me. [takes her in his arms.] and that is as it should be, my own darling nora. come what will, you may be sure i shall have both courage and strength if they be needed. you will see i am man enough to take everything upon myself.

nora: [in a horror-stricken voice]. what do you mean by that?

helmer: everything, i say—

nora: [recovering herself] you will never have to do that.

helmer: that's right. well, we will share it, nora, as man and wife should. that is how it shall be. [caressing her.] are you content now? there! there! not these frightened dove's eyes! the whole thing is only the wildest fancy! now, you must go and play through the tarantella and practise with your tambourine. i shall go into the inner office and shut the door, and i shall hear nothing; you can make as much noise as you . [turns back at the door.] and when rank comes, tell him where he will find me. [nods to her, takes his papers and goes into his room, and shuts the door after him.]

nora: [bewildered with anxiety, stands as if rooted to the spot, and whispers] he was capable of doing it. he will do it. he will do it in spite of everything. no, not that! never, never! anything rather than that! oh, for some , some way out of it! [the door-bell rings.] doctor rank! anything rather than that—anything, whatever it is! [she puts her hands over her face, pulls herself together, goes to the door and opens it. rank is standing without, hanging up his coat. during the following dialogue it begins to grow dark.]

how does the interaction between helmer and nora affect the plot?

a) nora realizes that helmer's actions are intended to preserve his masculinity, not their marriage.
b) nora realizes that, no matter what the letter says, helmer will still love her as much as he does now.
c) nora comes to understand that doctor rank is more important to helmer than she is.
d) nora comes to understand that helmer wants to share more responsibilities in the marriage now.

Industrialization in europe changed the way people lived. the urban working class came into being, and with it came the drudgery of work. which two parts of this excerpt from franz kafka's the metamorphosis most closely reflect this impact of industrialization on people's lives? "what's happened to me? " he thought. it wasn't a dream. his room, a proper human room although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls. a collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table—samsa was a travelling salesman—and above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame. it showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer. gregor then turned to look out the window at the dull weather. drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad. "how about if i sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense," he thought, but that was something he was unable to do because he was used to sleeping on his right, and in his present state couldn't get into that position. however hard he threw himself onto his right, he always rolled back to where he was. he must have tried it a hundred times, shut his eyes so that he wouldn't have to look at the floundering legs, and only stopped when he began to feel a mild, dull pain there that he had never felt before. "oh, no", he thought, "what a strenuous career it is that i've chosen! travelling day in and day out. doing business like this takes much more effort than doing your own business at home, and on top of that there's the curse of travelling, worries about making train connections, bad and irregular food, contact with different people all the time so that you can never get to know anyone or become friendly with them. they can all go away! " he felt a slight itch up on his belly; pushed himself slowly up on his back towards the headboard so that he could lift his head better; found where the itch was, and saw that it was covered with lots of little white spots which he didn't know what to make of; and when he tried to feel the place with one of his legs he drew it quickly back because as soon as he touched it he was overcome by a cold shudder. he slid back into his former position. "getting up early all the time", he thought, "it makes you stupid. you've got to get enough sleep. other travelling salesmen live a life of luxury. for instance, whenever i go back to the guest house during the morning to copy out the contract, these gentlemen are always still sitting there eating their breakfasts. i ought to just try that with my boss; i'd get kicked out on the spot. but who knows, maybe that would be the best thing for me. if i didn't have my parents to think about i'd have given in my notice a long time ago, i'd have gone up to the boss and told him just what i think, tell him everything i would, let him know just what i feel."