A Doll's House

In “The Doll’s House,” why are the Kelvey girls treated so badly?

• The other girls are jealous of their unusual, carefree lives.

• They do not conform to the beauty standards of the day.

• Their family is poor and considered very low class.

• They are boastful children who often misbehave.

What main criticism does “The Doll’s House” offer about the class system that prevailed in the place and time of its setting?

• The class system created a sense of responsibility in the upper class.

• The class system brought physical hardship to the lower classes.

• The class system could be cruel to the lower classes.

• The class system was governed mainly by women.

Answer explanation

The sentence that best supports this is, "They walked past the Kelveys with their heads in the air, and as they set the fashion in all matters of behavior, the Kelveys where shunned by everybody."

What does “The Doll’s House” suggest about the role of adults in the snobbery in which children sometimes engage?

• Adults try to stop such behavior.

• Adults encourage such behavior.

• Adults mostly ignore such behavior.

• Adults misunderstand such behavior.

Answer explanation

The sentence that best supports this is, "Even the teacher had a special voice for them [the Kelveys], and a special smile for the other children when Lil Kelvey came up to her desk with a bunch of dreadfully common-looking flowers."

What does “The Doll’s House” suggest about the way that most people feel when they demean or insult other people?

• They feel guilty and embarrassed.

• They feel upset with themselves.

• They feel completely indifferent.

• They feel pleased and superior.

Answer explanation

The sentence that best supports this is, "But now that she [Aunt Beryl] had frightened those little rats of Kelveys and given Kezia a good scolding, her heart felt lighter."

What is one likely meaning of the symbol of the doll’s house in “The Doll’s House”?

• creativity

• social status

• foolish ideas

• unpleasantness

Answer explanation

The sentence that best supports this is, "The Burnell children could hardly walk to school fast enough the next morning. They burned to tell everybody, to describe, to—well—to boast about their doll’s house before the school bell rang."

Which of these abstract ideas are the most likely symbolic meanings of the little lamp in “The Doll’s House”?  Choose two options.

• human kindness

• excessive ambition

• economic hardship

• social acceptance

• passionate anger

Which of these sentences best expresses the theme to which the symbol of the doll’s house points in “The Doll’s House”?

• Maturity means putting away childish things and behaving as the adults around you behave.

• Gifts that seem beautiful or wonderful when first received sometimes turn out to be quite unpleasant.

• Those who enjoy the privileges of upperclass life should share their joys with those who are less fortunate.

• No doll’s house, painting, short story, or other work of human creation can ever capture the world realistically.

In “The Doll’s House,” what can readers tell about Aunt Beryl from her reaction to the doll’s house when the Burnells first receive it?

• She is sweet and generous.

• She often complains.

• She is a very practical person.

• She is nostalgic for childhood.

In this paragraph from “The Doll’s House,” whose impression of the doll’s house is conveyed?

But perfect, perfect little house! Who could possibly mind the smell? It was part of the joy, part of the newness.

• Aunt Beryl's

• Else Kelvey's

• Mrs. Burnell's

• the Burnell girls'

In “The Doll’s House,” which of the following most likely drives Kezia’s attempt to let the Kelvey girls see the doll’s house?

• her rebellious nature

• her desire to be kind

• her need to show off

• her wish to act superior